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Burton and Verney Lovett Cameron</div> +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and +most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions +whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms +of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online +at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you +are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the +country where you are located before using this eBook. +</div> +<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: To the Gold Coast for Gold<br /> +A Personal Narrative in Two Volumes.—Vol. I</div> +<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Richard F. Burton and Verney Lovett Cameron</div> +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: August 13, 2003 [eBook #8821]<br /> +[Most recently updated: July 26, 2021]</div> +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> +<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Jim O’Connor, Distributed Proofreaders and David Widger</div> +<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TO THE GOLD COAST FOR GOLD ***</div> + + <h1> + TO THE GOLD COAST FOR GOLD + </h1> + <h3> + <i>A Personal Narrative</i> + </h3> + <h2> + By Richard F. Burton and Verney Lovett Cameron + </h2> + <h3> + In Two Volumes—Vol. I. + </h3> + + <hr /> + + <h3> + TO OUR EXCELLENT FRIEND + </h3> + <h3> + JAMES IRVINE + </h3> + <h3> + (OF LIVERPOOL, F.R.G.S, F.S.A, &C.) + </h3> + <h4> + WE INSCRIBE THESE PAGES AS A TOKEN OF OUR APPRECIATION AND ADMIRATION FOR + HIS COURAGE AND ENERGY IN OPENING AND WORKING THE GOLDEN LANDS OF WESTERN + AFRICA + </h4> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <br /> + </p> + <p> + <i>'Much have I travelled in the realms of gold'</i> + </p> + <p> + SHAKESPEARE + </p> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <p> + <b>CONTENTS</b> + </p> +<table summary="" style=""> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_PREF">PREFACE.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2H_4_0002"><b>TO THE GOLD COAST FOR GOLD.</b></a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2HCH0001">CHAPTER I. — PRELIMINARY: TRIESTE TO LISBON.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2HCH0002">CHAPTER II. — FROM LISBON TO MADEIRA.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2HCH0003">CHAPTER III. — A FORTNIGHT AT MADEIRA.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2HCH0004">CHAPTER IV. — MADEIRA (<i>continued</i>)—CHRISTMAS—SMALL INDUSTRIES—</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2HCH0005">CHAPTER V. — TO TENERIFE, LA LAGUNA, AND OROTAVA.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2HCH0006">CHAPTER VI. — THE ROUTINE ASCENT OF MOUNT ATLAS, THE 'PIKE' OF TENERIFE.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2HCH0007">CHAPTER VII. — THE SPANISH ACCOUNT OF THE REPULSE OF NELSON FROM SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2HCH0008">CHAPTER VIII. — TO GRAND CANARY—LAS PALMAS, THE CAPITAL.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2HCH0009">CHAPTER IX. — THE COCHINEAL—THE 'GALLO'—CANARY 'SACK'—ADIEU TO THE CANARIES.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2HCH0010">CHAPTER X. — THE RUINED RIVER-PORT AND THE TATTERED FLAG.</a></td> +</tr> + +<tr> +<td> <a href="#link2HCH0011">CHAPTER XI. — SIERRA LEONE: THE CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.</a></td> +</tr> + +</table> + + <hr /> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_PREF" id="link2H_PREF"> </a> + PREFACE. + </h2> + <p> + The following extract from 'Wanderings in West Africa,' a book which I + wrote in 1862 and published (anonymously) in 1863, will best explain the + reasons which lately sent me to Western Africa:— + </p> + <p> + In several countries, for instance, Dinkira, Tueful, Wásá (Wassaw), and + especially Akim, the hill-region lying north of Accra, the people are + still active in digging gold. The pits, varying from two to three feet in + diameter, and from twelve to fifty deep (eighty feet is the extreme), are + often so near the roads that loss of life has been the result. 'Shoring + up' being little known, the miners are not unfrequently buried alive. The + stuff is drawn up by ropes in clay pots, or calabashes, and thus a workman + at the bottom widens the pit to a pyriform shape; tunnelling, however, is + unknown. The excavated earth is carried down to be washed. Besides sinking + these holes, they pan in the beds of rivers, and in places collect quartz, + which is roughly pounded. + </p> + <p> + They (the natives) often refuse to dig deeper than the chin, for fear of + the earth 'caving in;' and, quartz-crushing and the use of quicksilver + being unknown, they will not wash unless the gold 'show colour' to the + naked eye. + </p> + <p> + As we advance northwards from the Gold Coast the yield becomes richer.... + </p> + <p> + It is becoming evident that Africa will one day equal half-a-dozen + Californias.... + </p> + <p> + Will our grandsons believe in these times ... that this Ophir—that + this California, where every river is a Tmolus and a Pactolus, every + hillock is a gold-field—does not contain a cradle, a + puddling-machine, a quartz-crusher, a pound of mercury? That half the + washings are wasted because quicksilver is unknown? That whilst convict + labour is attainable, not a company has been formed, not a surveyor has + been sent out? I exclaim with Dominie Sampson—'Pro-di-gious!' + </p> + <p> + Western Africa was the first field that supplied the precious metal to + mediaeval Europe. The French claim to have imported it from Elmina as + early as A.D. 1382. In 1442 Gonçales Baldeza returned from his second + voyage to the regions about Bojador, bringing with him the first gold. + Presently a company was formed for the purpose of carrying on the + gold-trade between Portugal and Africa. Its leading men were the + navigators Lanzarote and Gilianez, and Prince Henry 'the Navigator' did + not disdain to become a member. In 1471 João de Santarem and Pedro Escobar + reached a place on the Gold Coast to which, from the abundance of gold + found there, they gave the name of 'São Jorje da Mina,' the present + Elmina. After this a flood of gold poured into the lap of Europe; and at + last, cupidity having mastered terror of the Papal Bull, which assigned to + Portugal an exclusive right to the Eastern Hemisphere, English, French, + and Dutch adventurers hastened to share the spoils. + </p> + <p> + For long years my words fell upon flat ears. Presently the Ashanti war of + 1873-74 brought the subject before the public. The Protectorate was + overrun by British officers, and their reports and itineraries never + failed to contain, with a marvellous unanimity of iteration, the magic + word—Gold. + </p> + <p> + The fraction of country, twenty-six miles of seaboard out of two hundred, + by a depth of sixty—in fact, the valley of the Ancobra River—now + (early 1882) contains five working companies. Upwards of seventy + concessions, to my knowledge, have been obtained from native owners, and + many more are spoken of. In fact, development has at length begun, and the + line of progress is clearly traced. + </p> + <p> + At Madeira I was joined (January 8, 1882) by Captain Cameron, R.N., C.B., + &c. Our object was to explore the so-called Kong Mountains, which of + late years have become <i>quasi</i>-mythical. He came out admirably + equipped; nor was I less prepared. But inevitable business had delayed us + both, and we landed on the Gold Coast at the end of January instead of + early October. The hot-dry season had set in with a heat and a drought + unknown for years; the climate was exceptionally trying, and all experts + predicted early and violent rains. Finally, we found so much to do upon + the Ancobra River that we had no time for exploration. Geography is good, + but Gold is better. + </p> + <p> + In this joint book my energetic and hard-working friend and + fellow-traveller has described the five working mines which I was unable + to visit. He has also made an excellent route-survey of the country, + corrected by many and careful astronomical observations. It is curious to + compare his work with the sketches of previous observers, Jeekel, Wyatt, + Bonnat, and Dahse. To my companion's industry also are mainly due our + collections of natural history. + </p> + <p> + We are answerable only for our own, not for each other's statements. As + regards my part, I have described the Gold-land as minutely as possible, + despite the many and obvious disadvantages of the 'photographic style.' + Indeed, we travellers often find ourselves in a serious dilemma. If we do + not draw our landscapes somewhat in pre-Raphaelite fashion, they do not + impress the reader; if we do, critics tell us that they are wearisome <i>longueurs,</i> + and that the half would be better than the whole. The latter alternative + must often be risked, especially in writing about a country where many at + home have friends and relatives. Of course they desire to have as much + detail about it as possible; hence the reader will probably pardon my + 'curiosity.' + </p> + <p> + The Appendix discusses at some length the various objections made to the + Gold Coast mines by the public, which suffers equally from the 'bull' and + the 'bear' and from the wild rumours set afloat by those not interested in + the speculation. I first dispose of the dangers menaced by Ashanti + invasions. The second number notices the threatened labour-famine, and + shows how immigration of Chinese, of coolies, and of Zanzibar-men will, + when wanted, supply not only the Gold Coast, but also the whole of our + unhappy West African stations, miscalled colonies, which are now starving + for lack of hands. The third briefly sketches the history of the + Gold-trade in the north-western section of the Dark Continent, discusses + the position and the connections of the auriferous Kong Mountains, and + suggests the easiest system of 'getting' the precious metal. This is by + shallow working, by washing, and by the 'hydraulicking' which I had + studied in California. The earlier miners have, it is believed, begun at + the wrong end with deep workings, shafts, and tunnels; with + quartz-crushers, stamps, and heavy and expensive machinery, when flumes + and force-pumps would have cost less and brought more. Our observations + and deductions, drawn from a section of coast, will apply if true, as I + believe they are, to the whole region between the Assini and the Volta + Rivers. + </p> + <p> + I went to the Gold Coast with small expectations. I found the Wásá + (Wassaw) country, Ancobra section, far richer than the most glowing + descriptions had represented it. Gold and other metals are there in + abundance, and there are good signs of diamond, ruby, and sapphire. + </p> + <p> + Remains to be seen if England has still honesty and public spirit enough + to work this old-new California as it should be worked. I will answer for + its success if the workers will avoid over-exclusiveness, undue jealousy + and rivalry, stockjobbing, and the rings of 'guinea-pigs' and + 'guinea-worms.' + </p> + <h3> + RICHARD F. BURTON. + </h3> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> </a> + TO THE GOLD COAST FOR GOLD. + </h2> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> </a> + CHAPTER I. — PRELIMINARY: TRIESTE TO LISBON. + </h2> + <p> + The glory of an explorer, I need hardly say, results not so much from the + extent, or the marvels of his explorations, as from the consequences to + which they lead. Judged by this test, my little list of discoveries has + not been unfavoured of fortune. Where two purblind fever-stricken men + plodded painfully through fetid swamp and fiery thorn-bush over the + Zanzibar-Tanganyika track, mission-houses and schools may now be numbered + by the dozen. Missionaries bring consuls, and consuls bring commerce and + colonisation. On the Gold Coast of Western Africa, whence came the good + old 'guinea,' not a washing-cradle, not a pound of quicksilver was to be + found in 1862; in 1882 five mining companies are at work; and in 1892 + there will be as many score. + </p> + <p> + I had long and curiously watched from afar the movement of the Golden + Land, our long-neglected El Dorado, before the opportunity of a revisit + presented itself. At last, in the autumn of 1881, Mr. James Irvine, of + Liverpool, formerly of the West African 'Oil-rivers,' and now a large + mine-owner in the Gulf of Guinea, proposed to me a tour with the object of + inspecting his concessions, and I proposed to myself a journey of + exploration inland. The Foreign Office liberally gave me leave to escape + the winter of Trieste, where the ferocious Bora (nor'-nor'-easter) wages + eternal war with the depressing and distressing Scirocco, or south-easter. + Some One marvelled aloud and said, 'You are certainly the first that ever + applied to seek health in the "genial and congenial climate" of the West + African Coast.' But then Some One had not realised the horrors of January + and February at the storm-beaten head of the ever unquiet Adriatic. + </p> + <p> + Thus it happened that on November 18,1881, after many adieux and <i>au + revoirs,</i> I found myself on board the Cunard s.s. <i>Demerara</i> + (Captain C. Jones), bound for 'Gib.' My wife was to accompany me as far as + Hungarian Fiume. + </p> + <p> + The Cunard route to 'Gib' is decidedly roundabout. We began with a run to + Venice, usually six hours from the Vice-Queen of the Adriatic: it was + prolonged to double by the thick and clinging mist-fog. The sea-city was + enjoying her usual lethargy of repose after the excitement of the + 'geographical Carnival,' as we called the farcical Congress of last + September. She is essentially a summering place. Her winter is miserable, + neither city nor houses being built for any but the finest of fine + weather; her 'society'-season lasts only four months from St. Stephen's + Day; her traveller-seasons are spring and autumn. We found all our friends + either in bed with bad colds, or on the wing for England and elsewhere; we + inhaled a <i>quant. suff.</i> of choking vapour, even in the comfortable + Britannia Hotel; and, on the morning of the 23rd, we awoke to find + ourselves moored alongside of the new warehouses on the new port of + Hungarian, or rather Croatian, Fiume. + </p> + <p> + Fiume had made prodigious strides since I last saw her in 1878; and she is + gradually taking the wind out of the sails of her sister-rival. While old + Tergeste wastes time and trouble upon futile questions of policy, and + angry contrasts between Germans and Slavs, and Italians and Triestines, + Fiume looks to the main chance. The neat, clean, and well-watered little + harbour-city may be called a two-dinner-a-day place, so profuse is her + hospitality to strangers. Here, too, we once more enjoyed her glorious + outlook, the warm winter sun gilding the snowy-silvery head of Monte + Maggiore and raining light and life upon the indigo-tinted waters of Fiume + Bay. Next to Naples, I know nothing in Europe more beautiful than this + ill-named Quarnero. We saw a shot or so of the far-famed Whitehead + torpedo, which now makes twenty-one miles an hour; and on Nov. 25 we began + to run down the Gulf <i>en route</i> for Patras. + </p> + <p> + It was a pleasure to emerge from the stern and gloomy Adriatic; and + nothing could be more lovely than the first evening amongst the Ionian + Islands. To port, backed by the bold heights of the Grecian sea-range, lay + the hoary mount, and the red cliffs, 780 feet high, of Sappho's Leap, a + never-forgotten memory. Starboard rose bleak Ithaca, fronting the black + mountain of Cephalonia, now bald and bare, but clothed with dark forests + till these were burnt down by some mischievous malignant. Whatever of + sterility deformed the scene lay robed under a glory of colour painted + with perfect beauty by the last smile of the sun. Earth and air and sea + showed every variety of the chromatic scale, especially of rose-tints, + from the tenderest morning blush of virgin snow to the vinous evening + flush upon the lowlands washed by the purple wave. The pure translucent + vault never ceased to shift its chameleon-like hues, that ranged between + the diaphanous azure of the zenith and the faintest rainbow green, a + border-land where blue and yellow met and parted. The air felt soft and + balmy; a holy calm was on the face of creation; all looked delicious after + the rude north, and we acknowledged once more that life was worth living. + </p> + <p> + Patras also has greatly improved since I last saw her in 1872. The + malaria-swamps to the north and south of the town have been drained and + are being warped up: the 'never-failing succession of aguish fevers' will + presently fade out of the guide-books. A macadamised boulevard has been + built, and a breakwater is building. The once desert square, 'Georgios + A',' has been planted with trees, which should be Eucalyptus; and adorned + with two French statues of bronze which harmonise admirably with the + surroundings. The thoroughfares are still Sloughs of Despond after rain, + and gridirons of St. Laurence in dusty summer; but there are incipient + symptoms of trottoirs. And throughout there is a disappearance of the + hovels which resembled Port Sa'id in her younger day, and a notable + substitution of tall solid houses. + </p> + <p> + All this has been brought about by 'fruit,' which in Patras means + currants; that is, 'Corinthian grapes.' The export this year is unusual, + 110,000 tons, including the Morea and the Islands; and of this total only + 20,000 go to France for wine-making. It gives a surprising idea of the + Christmas plum-pudding manufacture. Patras also imports for all the small + adjacent places, inhabited by 'shaggy capotes.' And she will have a fine + time when that talented and energetic soldier, General Türr, whom we last + met at Venice, begins the 'piercing of the Isthmus.' <i>À propos</i> of + which, one might suggest to Patras, with due respect, that (politically + speaking) 'honesty is the best policy.' + </p> + <p> + Being at Patras on St. Andrew's Day, with a Scotch demoiselle on board, we + could hardly but pilgrimage to the place of the Apostle's martyrdom. Mrs. + Wood kindly sent her daughters to do the honours. Aghyos Andreas lies at + the extreme south of the town on the system of ruts, called a road, which + conducts down-coast. The church is a long yellow barn, fronting a + cypress-grown cemetery, whose contents are being transferred to the new + extramural. A little finger of the holy man reposes under a dwarf canopy + in the south-eastern angle: his left arm is preserved at Mount Athos in a + silver reliquary, set with gems. Outside, near the south-western corner, + is the old well of Demeter (Ceres), which has not lost its curative + virtues by being baptised. You descend a dwarf flight of brick steps to a + mean shrine and portrait of the saint, and remark the solid bases and the + rude rubble arch of the pagan temple. A fig-tree, under which the + martyrdom took place, grew in the adjacent court; it has long been cut + down, probably for fuel. + </p> + <p> + The population of Patras still affords a fine study of the 'dirty + picturesque,' with clothes mostly home-made; sheepskin cloaks; fustanellas + or kilts, which contain a whole piece of calico; red leggings, and the + rudest of sandals; Turkish caps, and an occasional pistol-belt. The + Palikar still struts about in all his old bravery; and the <i>bourgeois</i> + humbly imitates the dingy garb of Southern Italy. The people have no taste + for music, no regard for art, no respect for antiquities, except for just + as much as these will bring. They own two, and only two, objects in life: + firstly, to make money, and secondly, to keep and not to spend it. But + this dark picture has a bright side. No race that I know is so greedy of + education; the small boys, instead of wending unwillingly to school, crowd + the doors before they are opened. Where this exceptional feeling is + universal we may hope for much. + </p> + <p> + The last evening at Patras showed us a beautiful view of what is here + called Parnassus (Parnassó), the tall bluff mountain up the Gulf, whose + snows at sunset glowed like a balass ruby. We left the Morea at 2 A.M. + (December 2), and covered the fifty-two miles to Zante before breakfast. + There is, and ever has been, something peculiarly sympathetic to me in the + 'flower of the Levant.' 'Eh! 'tis a bonny, bonny place,' repeatedly + ejaculated our demoiselle. The city lies at the foot of the grey cliffs, + whose northern prolongation extends to the Akroteri, or Lighthouse Point. + A fine quay, the Strada Marina, has been opened during the last six years + along the northern sea-front, where the arcades suggest those of Chester. + It is being prolonged southwards to the old quarantine-ground and the + modern prison, which rests upon the skirts of the remarkable Skopo, the + Prospect Mountain, 1,489 feet high. This feature, which first shows itself + to mariners approaching Zakynthos from north or from south, has a + saddle-back sky-line, with a knob of limestone shaped like a Turkish + pommel and sheltering its monastery, Panaghia of Skopo, alias Our Lady of + the Look-out. Below it appears another and a similar outcrop near a white + patch which has suggested marble-quarrying; and the northern flank is + dotted with farmhouses and villas. The dwarf breakwater, so easily + prolonged over the shallows, has not been improved; but at its base rises + a brand-new opera-house, big enough for a first-rate city. Similarly at + Barletta they raised a loan to build a mole and they built a theatre. + Unlike Patras, Zante long had the advantage of Italian and then of English + rule; and the citizens care for music more than for transformation-scenes. + The Palikar element also is notably absent; and the soldiers are in + uniform, not in half-uniform and half-brigand attire. I missed the British + flag once so conspicuous upon the southern round tower of the castle, + where in days, or rather nights, of old I had spent not a few jolly hours; + but I heard with pleasure that it is proposed to make a <i>haute-ville</i> + of the now deserted and crumbling triangle, a <i>Sommerfrisch</i> where + the parboiled citizens of Athens will find a splendid prospect and a + cooling sea-breeze. + </p> + <p> + Mr. E. Barff kindly accompanied us in the usual drive 'round the Wrekin,' + for which we may here read the 'wreck.' We set out along the sea-flank of + the Castle hill. This formation, once a regular hog's-back, has been split + by weather about the middle; and its southern end has been shaken down by + earthquakes, and carved by wind and rain into precipices and pinnacles of + crumbling sandstone, which form the 'Grey Cliffs.' Having heard at Patras + the worst accounts of Zante since it passed under Greek rule, I was not a + little surprised by the excellent condition of the roads and the general + look of prosperity. + </p> + <p> + Turning to the right we entered Mr. Barff's garden-house, where the + grounds were bright and beautiful with balsam and mignonette, dahlias and + cyclamens, chrysanthemums and oleanders, jasmine and double-violets, + orange-blossoms, and a perfect Gulistan of roses, roses of York and + Lancaster, white, pink, and purple, yellow and green—a perfumed + spring in dreary December. Laden with bouquets we again threaded the + olive-grounds, whose huge trunks are truly patriarchal, and saw basking in + the sun old Eumæus, the Swine-King, waiting upon his black and bristly + herd. The glimpse led to a characteristic tale. A wealthy Greek merchant + in London had made the most liberal offers to his brother, a shepherd in + the hills of Cephalonia; the latter returned his very best thanks, but + declared himself perfectly happy and unwilling to tempt fortune by change + of condition to England. Greece, it is evident, has not ceased to breed + 'wise men.' + </p> + <p> + We returned, <i>viâ</i> the landward flank of the hog's-back, along the + fine plain ('O Kampos') bounded west by the range called after Mount + Meriy, the apex, rising 3,274 feet. Anglo-Zantiots fondly compare its + outline with the Jura's. The look of the rich lowlands, 'the vale,' as our + charts call it, suggested a river-valley, but river there is none. Every + nook and corner was under cultivation, and each country-house had its + chapel and its drying-ground for 'fruit,' level yards now hidden under + large-leaved daisies and wild flowers. We passed through the Graetani + village, whose tenants bear a bad name, and saw none of the pretty faces + for which Zante is famed. The sex was dressed in dark jackets and + petticoats <i>à l'italienne</i>; and the elders were apparently employed + in gathering 'bitter herbs,' dandelion and the wild endive. Verily this is + a frugal race. + </p> + <p> + The drive ended with passing up the Strada Larga, the inner High Street, + running parallel with the Marina. After Turkish fashion, trades flock + together, shoemakers to the south and vegetable-vendors to the north. + There are two good specimens of Venetian palazzetti, one fantastic, the + other classical; and there is a rough pavement, which is still wanting in + Patras. A visit to the silk-shop of Garafuglia Papaiouanou was obligatory: + here the golden-hued threads reminded me of the Indian Tussur-moth. Also + <i>de rigueur</i> was the purchase of nougat and raki, the local + mandorlato and mastaché, almond-cake and grape-spirit. + </p> + <p> + Zante appears to me an excellent home for a large family with a small + income. A single man lives at the best hotel (Nazionale) for forty-five + francs per week. A country-house with nine bedrooms, cellarage, stabling, + dog-house, orangery, and large garden, is to be had for 25<i>l.</i> a + year. Fowls cost less than a franc; turkeys, if you do not buy them from a + shipchandler, two francs and a half. The strong and sherry-flavoured white + wine of Zante rarely exceeds three shillings the gallon, sixpence a + bottle. And other necessaries in the same proportion. + </p> + <p> + But, oh that St. Dionysius, patron saint of Zante, would teach his <i>protégés</i> + a little of that old Persian wisdom which abhorred a lie and its + concomitants, cheating and mean trickery! The <i>Esmeralda</i>, after two + days and one night at Zante, was charged 15<i>l.</i>, for pilotage, when + the captain piloted himself; for church, where there is no parson; and for + harbour dues where there is no harbour. It is almost incredible that so + sharp-witted a race can also be so short-sighted; so wise about pennies, + so foolish about pounds. + </p> + <p> + On Saturday we left Zante in the teeth of a fresh but purely local + north-easter, which whistled through the gear and hurled the spray high up + Cape Skinari. The result was, as the poet sings— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + That peculiar up-and-down motion + Which belongs to the treacherous ocean. +</pre> + <p> + Not without regret I saw the last of the memorious old castle and of Skopo + the picturesque. We ran along the western shore of Cephalonia, the isle of + three hundred villages: anyone passing this coast at once understands how + Greece produced so many and such excellent seamen. The island was a + charming spectacle, with its two culminations, Maraviglia (3,311 ft.) and + Elato (5,246 ft.), both capped by purple cloud; its fertile slopes and its + fissured bight, Argostoli Bay, running deep into the land. + </p> + <p> + We fondly expected to pass the Messina Straits by daylight, and to cast + another glance upon old Etna, Scylla and Charybdis, the Liparis and + Stromboli. And all looked well, as about noon we were abreast of Cape + Spartivento, the 'Split-wind' which divides the mild northers and southers + of the Straits from the raw Boras and rotting Sciroccos of the Adriatic. + But presently a signal for succour was hoisted by a marvellous old tub, a + sailer-made-steamer, sans boats, sans gunwales; a something whose dirt and + general dilapidation suggested the Flying Dutchman. I almost expected to + see her drop out of form and crumble into dust as our boys boarded her. + The <i>America</i>, of Barletta, bound from Brindisi to Genoa, had hurt + her boilers. We hauled in her cable—these gentry must never be + trusted with a chance of slipping loose—and tugged her into Messina, + thereby losing a valuable day. + </p> + <p> + The famous Straits were almost a replica of Ionian Island scenery: the + shores of the Mediterranean, limestone and sandstone, with here and there + a volcanic patch, continually repeat themselves. After passing the barren + heel of the Boot and its stony big toe, the wady-streaked shores become + populous and well cultivated, while railway trains on either side, island + and continent, toss their snowy plumes in the pride of civilisation. The + ruined castles on the crags and the new villages on the lowlands told + their own story of Turkish and Algerine piracy, now doomed to the limbo of + things that were. In the evening we were safely anchored within the zancle + (sickle) of Messina-port, whose depth of water and circular shape have + suggested an old crater flooded. It was Sunday, and we were greeted with + the familiar sounds, the ringing of cracked bells, the screaming of harsh, + hoarse voices, a military band and detached musical performances. The + classical facade of the Marina, through whose nineteen archways and upper + parallelograms you catch a vista of dark narrow wynd, contrasts curiously + with Catania: the former is a 'dicky,' a front hiding something unclean; + while the latter is laid out in Eastern style, where, for the best of + reasons, the marble palace hides behind a wall of mud. The only new + features I noted were a metal fish-market, engineer art which contrasts + marvellously with the Ionic pilasters and the solid ashlar of the 'dicky;' + and, at the root of the sickle, a new custom-house of six detached boxes, + reddest-roofed and whitest-walled, built to copy children's toy cottages. + Croatian Fiume would blush to own them. Of the general impurity of the + town and of the <i>bouquet de Messine</i> the less said the better. + </p> + <p> + As we made fast to the Marina our tobacco was temporarily sealed after the + usual mean Italian fashion. Next morning an absurd old person, in a broad + red baldrick, came on board and counted noses, to ascertain that we had + not brought the dreaded small-pox from the Ionian Islands. After being + graciously and liberally allowed to land, we were visited by the local + chapmen, whose goods appeared rather mixed—polished cowhorns and + mildewed figs, dolls in costume and corrosive oranges; by the normal + musical barber, who imitates at a humble distance bird and beast; and by + the vendor of binoculars, who asks forty francs and who takes ten. The + captain noted his protest at the Consulate, and claimed by way of <i>sauvetage + 200l</i>. The owners offered 200 lire—punds Scots. Briefly, noon had + struck before we passed out of the noise and the smells of Messina. + </p> + <p> + Our good deed had cost us dear. A wet scirocco had replaced the bright + norther and saddened all the view. Passing the tide-rip Charybdis, a + meeting of currents, which called only for another hand at the wheel; and + the castled crag of naughty Scylla, whose town has grown prodigiously, we + bade adieu to the 'tower of Pelorus.' Then we shaped our course for the + Islands of Æolus, or the Winds, and the Lipari archipelago, all volcanic + cones whose outlines were misty as Ossian's spectres. And we plodded + through the dreary dull-grey scene of drizzling scirocco— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Till, when all veilèd sank in darkling air, + Naught but the welkin and the wave was there. +</pre> + <p> + Next morning showed us to port the Cone of Maritimo: it outlies Marsala, + whose wine caused the blinding of Polyphemus, and since that time has + brought on many an attack of liver. The world then became to us <i>pontus + et aer</i>. Days and nights were equally uneventful; the diary tells only + of quiet seas under the lee of Sardinia and of the Balearics, ghostly + glimpses of the North African coast and the steady setting in of the + normal wester, the indraught of 'the Straits.' + </p> + <p> + On Friday (November 9) the weather broke and deluged us with rain. At + Gibraltar the downpour lasted twenty-four hours. We found ourselves at + anchor before midnight with a very low barometer, which suggested + unpleasantries. Next morning we sighted the deep blue waters of the Bay, + and the shallow brown waters of the Bayside crested with foam by a furious + norther, that had powdered the far Ronda highlands with snow. Before noon, + however, the gale had abated and allowed me to transfer myself and African + outfit on board the <i>Fez</i> (Capt. Hay), Moroccan Steamship Company, + trading to North Africa. This was a godsend: there is no regular line + between Gibraltar and Lisbon, and one might easily be delayed for a week. + </p> + <p> + The few hours' halt allowed me time to call upon my old friend, M. Dautez, + a Belgian artist. Apparently he is the only person in the place who cares + for science. He has made extensive collections. He owns twenty-four coins + from Carteia, whereas Florez (Medallas, Madrid, 1773) shows a total of + only thirty-three. Amongst his antiquities there is a charming statuette + of Minerva, a bronze miniature admirably finished. He has collected the + rock fauna, especially the molluscs, fossil and modern. He is preparing an + album of the Flora Calpensis. His birds' nests were lately sold to an + Englishman. All these objects, of immense local interest, were offered by + him at the lowest possible rate to the Military Library, but who is there + to understand their value? I wonder how many Englishmen on the Rock know + that they are within easy ride of the harbour which named the 'Ships of + Tarshish'? Tartessus, which was Carteia, although certain German + geographers would, against the general voice of antiquity, make the former + the country and the latter the city, lay on both sides of the little + Guadarranque stream, generally called First River; and the row of tumuli + on the left bank probably denotes the site of the famous docks. I was + anxious to open diggings in 1872, but permission was not forthcoming: now, + however, they say that the Duke of Medina Sidonia would offer no + objections. + </p> + <p> + Gib, though barbarous in matters of science, is civilised as regards + 'business.' It was a treat to see steamer after steamer puff in, load up + with blue peter at the fore, and start off after a few hours which would + have been days at Patras, Zante, and Messina. Here men work with a will, + as a walk from the Convent to the Old Mole, the Mersa or water-port of a + Moroccan town, amply proves. The uniforms are neat and natty—they + were the reverse five years ago—and it is a pleasure to look upon + the fresh faces of English girls still unstained by unconsumed carbon. And + the authorities have had the good sense to preserve the old Moorish town + of Tárik and his successors, the triangle of walls with the tall + tower-like mosque for apex, and the base facing the bay. + </p> + <p> + We left Gibraltar at 5 P.M. on Saturday (December 10), giving a wide berth + to the hated Pearl Rock, which skippers would remove by force of arms. + Seen from east or west Gib has an outline of its own. The Britisher, whose + pride it is, sees the 'lion of England who has laid his paw upon the key + of the Mediterranean,' and compares it with the king of beasts, sejant, + the tail being Europa Point. The Spaniards, to whom it is an eyesore, + liken it to a shrouded corpse, the outlined head lying to the north, and + declare, truly enough, that to them it is a dead body. + </p> + <p> + The norther presently changed to the rainy south-wester, the builder of + the Moroccan 'bars' and the scourge of the coast fringing North-west + Africa, Rolling set in with the usual liveliness. Events were not + eventful. The first midnight found us off Cape Trafalgar, and the second + off St. Vincent. At 4 P.M. (December 12), we saw the light of Espíchel (<i>Promóntorium + Barbaricum</i>), the last that shines upon the voyager bound Brazilwards. + Before nightfall we had left Buzio lighthouse to starboard. We then ran up + the northern passage in charge of a lagging pilot; and, as the lamps were + lighting, we found ourselves comfortably berthed off that pretty toy, + Belem Tower. + </p> + <p> + Next morning broke upon a lovely view: no wonder that the Tagus is the + pride of Portuguese bards. The <i>Rosicler</i>, or rosy dawn-light, was + that of a May morning—the May of poetry, not of meteorology—and + the upper windows of distant Lisbon were all ablaze with the unrisen sun. + It was a picture for the loveliest colours, not for 'word-painting;' and + the whole scene was classical as picturesque. We may justly say of it, + 'Nullum sine nomine saxum.' Far over the rising hills of the north bank + rose shaggy Cintra, 'the most blessed spot in the habitable globe,' with + its memorious convent and its Moorish castle. The nearer heights were + studded with the oldest-fashioned windmills, when the newest are found + even in the Canaries; a single crest bore its baker's dozen, mostly + decapitated by steam. Advancing we remarked the glorious Belem monastery, + defiled by its ignoble modern ruin to the west; the new hippodrome + crowning the grassy slope; the Bed House of Belem, now being brightened up + for Royal residence during the Exhibition of 1882; the Memoria and the + Ajuda Palace, more unfinished, if possible, than ever. As we approached + the bulk of the city the marking objects were the cypressed Prazeres + Cemetery; the red Necessidades Palace, and the Estrella, whose dome and + domelets, built to mimic St. Peter's, look only like hen and chickens. + Then in due time came the Carmo Church, still unrepaired since 1755; + Blackhorse Square, still bare of trees; the Government offices, still + propped to prevent a tumble-down, and the old Custom House, still a + bilious yellow; the vast barrack-like pile of S. Vicente, the historic <i>Sé</i> + or cathedral with dumpy towers; the black Castle of São Jorge, so hardly + wrung from the gallant Moors, and the huge Santa Engracia, apparently ever + to be a ruin. + </p> + <p> + I spent a pleasant week at Lisbon, and had a fair opportunity of measuring + what progress she has made during the last sixteen years. We have no + longer to wander up and down disconsolate + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Mid many things unsightly to strange ee. +</pre> + <p> + If the beggars remain, the excessive dirt and the vagrant dogs have + disappeared. The Tagus has a fine embankment; but the land side is + occupied by mean warehouses. The sewers, like those of Trieste, still want + a <i>cloaca maxama</i>, a general conduit of masonry running along the + quay down-stream. The Rocio has been planted with mean trees, greatly to + the disgust of the average Lusitanian, who hates such sun-excluding + vegetation like a backwoodsman; yet the Quintella squarelet shows what + fine use may be made of cactus and pandanus, aloes and palms, not to + mention the ugly and useful eucalyptus. The thoroughfares are far cleaner + than they were; and Lisbon is now surrounded by good roads. The new houses + are built with some respect for architectonic effect of light and shade: + such fine old streets as the Rua Augusta offend the eye by façades flat as + cards with rows of pips for windows. Finally, a new park is being laid out + to the north of the Passeio Publico. + </p> + <p> + Having always found 'Olisipo' exceptionally hospitable and pleasant, I + look forward to the days when she will be connected with Paris by direct + railway. Her hotels are first-rate; her prices are not excessive; her + winter climate is delightful, and she is the centre of most charming + excursions. The capital has thrown off much of her old lethargy. Her + Geographical Society is doing hard and honest work; she has nobly expiated + the national crime by becoming a 'Camonian' city; and she indulges freely + in exhibitions. One, of Ornamental Art, was about to be opened when I last + saw her, and it extended deep into the next spring. + </p> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> </a> + CHAPTER II. — FROM LISBON TO MADEIRA. + </h2> + <p> + My allotted week in Lisbon came to an end only too soon: in the society of + friends, and in the Camonian room (Bibliotheca Nacional), which contains + nearly 300 volumes, I should greatly have enjoyed a month. The s.s. <i>Luso</i> + (Captain Silva), of the 'Empresa Insulana,' one of the very few Portuguese + steamers, announced her departure for December 20; and I found myself on + board early in the morning, with a small but highly select escort to give + me God-speed. + </p> + <p> + Unfortunately the 'May weather' had made way for the <i>cacimbas</i> + (mists) of a rainy sou'-wester. The bar broke and roared at us; Cintra, + the apex of Lisbon's extinct volcano and the Mountain of the (Sun and) + Moon, hid her beautiful head, and even the Rock of Lisbon disdained the + normal display of sturdy flank. Then set in a <i>brise carabinée</i>, + which lasted during our voyage of 525 miles, and the <i>Luso</i>, rolling + like a moribund whale, proved so lively that most of the fourteen + passengers took refuge in their berths. A few who resisted the sea-fiend's + assaults found no cause of complaint: the captain and officers were + exceedingly civil and obliging, and food and wines were good and not + costly. + </p> + <p> + From Madeira the <i>Luso</i> makes, once a month, the tour of the Azores, + touching at each island—a great convenience—and returning in + ten days. + </p> + <p> + Early on Thursday, the 22nd, the lumpy, churning sea began to subside, and + the invisible balm seduced all the sufferers to the quarter-deck. They + were wild to sight Madeira as children to see the rising of the + pantomime-curtain. There was not much to gaze at; but what will not + attract man's stare at sea?—a gull, a turtle, a flying fish! By the + by, Captain Tuckey, of the Congo Expedition, remarked the 'extraordinary + absence of sea-birds in the vicinity of Madeira and the Canaries:' they + have since learned the way thither. Porto Santo appeared as a purple lump + of three knobs, a manner of 'gizzard island,' backed by a deeper gloom of + clouds—Madeira. Then it lit up with a pale glimmer as of snow, the + effect of the sun glancing upon the thin greens of the northern flank; + and, lastly, it broke into two masses—northern and southern—of + peaks and precipices connected by a strip of lowland. + </p> + <p> + It is generally held that the discovery of the Madeiran group (1418-19) + was the first marking feature of the century which circumnavigated Africa, + and that Porto Santo was 'invented 'by the Portuguese before Madeira. The + popular account, however, goes lame. For instance, the story that tried + and sturdy soldiers and seamen were deterred from advancing a few miles, + and were driven back to Portugal by the 'thick impenetrable darkness which + was guarded by a strange noise,' and by anile fancies about the 'Mouth of + Hell' and 'Cipango,' reads like mere stuff and nonsense. Again, great are + the difficulties in determining the nationality of the explorers, and + settling the conflicting claims of the French, Genoese, Portuguese, + Spanish, English, and Arabs. History, and perhaps an aptitude for + claiming, have assigned the honour exclusively to Lusitania: and every + guide-book tells the same old tale. But I have lived long enough to have + seen how history is written; and the discovery was, at best, a mere + re-discovery, as we learn from Pliny (vi. 36), whose 'insulae purpurariae' + cannot be confounded [Footnote: Mr. Major, however, would identify the + Purple Islands with Oanarian Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, both possibly + Continental.] with the Fortunate Islands, or Canaries. The 'Gaetulian dye' + of King Juba in the Augustan age is not known. Its origin has been found + in the orchilla still growing upon the Desertas; but this again appears + unlikely enough. Ptolemy (iv. 1,16) also mentions 'Erythía,' the Red Isle—'red,' + possibly, for the same reason; and Plutarch (in Suet.) may allude to the + Madeiran group when he relates of the Fortunate Islands: 'They are two, + separated only by a narrow channel, and at a distance of 400 leagues (read + 320 miles) from the African coast.' + </p> + <p> + The Jesuit, Antonio Cordeyro, [Footnote: <i>Historia insulana das Ilhas a + Portugal sugoytas</i>, pp. 61-96. Lisbon, 1717.] who borrows from the + learned and trustworthy Dr. Gaspar Fructuoso, [Footnote: <i>As Saudades da + Terra</i>, lib. i. ch. iii, <i>Historia das Ilhas, &c</i>. This + lettered and conscientious chronicler, the first who wrote upon the + Portuguese islands, was born (A.D. 1522) at Ponta Delgada (Thin Point) of + St. Michael, Azores. He led a life of holiness and good works, composed + his history in 1590, left many 'sons of his soul,' as he called his books, + and died in his natal place, A.D. 1591. The Madeiran portion of the two + huge folios (some 4,000 pages of MS.) has been printed at Funchal, with + copious notes by Dr. A. Rodrigues de Azevedo, Professor of Literature, + &c., at the National Lyceum; and a copy was kindly lent to me, during + the author's absence in Lisbon, by Governor Viscount de Villa Mendo.] + declares in 1590: 'The first discoverers of the Porto Santo Island, many + say, were those Frenchmen and Castilians (Spaniards) who went forth from + Castile to conquer the Canaries; these, when either outward or homeward + bound, came upon the said island, and, for that they found it uninhabited + and small, they abandoned it; but as they had weathered a storm and saved + themselves there, they named it Port Holy.' Fructuoso (i. 5) expressly + asserts that the Portuguese sailed from Lisbon in June 1419 for 'the Isle + of Porto Sancto'(in 32° N. lat.), which two years before had been + discovered by some Castilian ships making the Canaries, the latter having + been occupied a short time previously by the French; wherefore the pilot + took that route.' The Jesuit chronicler continues to relate that after the + formally proclaimed annexation of the Canaries by the Normans and + Castilians (A.D. 1402-18), Prince Henry, the Navigator, despatched from + Lagos, in 1417, an expedition to explore Cape Bojador, the 'gorbellied.' + The three ships were worked by the Italian master-seaman Bertholomeu + Palestrello or Palestro, commonly called Perestrello. The soldiers, + corresponding to our marines, were commanded by the 'sweet warman,' João + Gonçales da Camara, nicknamed 'O Zargo,' the Cyclops, not the squint-eyed; + [Footnote: Curious to say, Messieurs White and Johnson, the writers of the + excellent guide-book, will translate the word 'squint-eyed:' they might + have seen the portrait in Government House.] his companion was Tristão Vaz + Teyxeyra, called in honour 'the Tristam.' Azurara, [Footnote: <i>Chronica + do Descobrimento de Guiné.</i> By Gomes Eannes de Azurara, written between + A.D. 1452-53, and quoted by Prof. Azevedo, Notes, p. 830.] a contemporary, + sends the 'two noble squires,' Zarco and Tristam, 'who in bad weather were + guided by God to the isle now called Porto Sancto' (June 1419). They + returned home (marvellous to relate) without touching at Madeira, only + twenty-three miles distant; and next year (1420) Prince Henry commissioned + Palestrello also. + </p> + <p> + The Spaniards prefer to believe that after Jehan de Béthencourt's attack + upon the Canaries (A.D. 1403), his soldier Lancelot, who named Lanzarote + Island, touched at Porto Santo in 1417; and presently, sailing to the + south-west, discovered Madeira. This appears reasonable enough. + </p> + <p> + Patriotic Barbot (1700), in company with the mariner Villault de Belfons, + Père Labat, and Ernest de Fréville, [Footnote: <i>Mémoire sur le Commerce + Maritime de Rouen.</i>] claims the honour for France. According to that + 'chief factor for the African Company,' the merchants of Dieppe first + traded to West Africa for cardamoms and ivory. This was during the reign + of Charles V., and between 1364 and 1430, or half a century before the + Portuguese. Their chief stations were Goree of Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, + Cape Mount, the Kru or Liberian coast, then called 'of Grain,' from the + 'Guinea grains' or Malaguetta pepper (<i>Amomum granum Paradisi</i>), and, + lastly, the Gold Coast. Here they founded 'Petit Paris' upon the Baie de + France, at 'Serrelionne;' 'Petit Dieppe,' at the mouth of the St. John's + River, near Grand Bassá, south of Monrovia; and 'Cestro' [Footnote: Now + generally called Grand Sestros, and popularly derived from the Portuguese + <i>cestos</i>—pepper.] or 'Sestro Paris,' where, three centuries + afterwards, the natives retained a few words of French. Hence Admiral + Bouet-Willaumez explains the Great and Little 'Boutoo' of our charts by <i>butteau</i>, + from <i>butte</i>, the old Norman word still preserved in the great + western prairies. + </p> + <p> + Barbot resumes that in 1383 the Rouen traders, combining with the Dieppe + men, sent upon an exploring voyage three ships, one of which, <i>La Vierge</i>, + ran down coast as far as where Commenda (Komenda or Komání) and Elmina now + stand. At the latter place they built a fort and factory just one century + before it was occupied by the Portuguese. The Frenchman declares that one + of the Elmina castles was called Bastion de France, and 'on it are still + to be seen some old arithmetical numbers, which are <i>anno</i> 13' (i.e. + 1383); 'the rest being defaced by weather.' This first factory was + afterwards incorporated with the modern building; and in 1387 it was + enlarged with the addition of a chapel to lodge more than ten or twelve + men, the original garrison. + </p> + <p> + In 1670 Ogilvy [Footnote: London: Printed by Tho. Johnson for the author, + and to be had at his house in White Fryers, MDCLXX.] notes: 'The castle + (Elmina) was judged to be an Antient Building from several marks of + Antiquity about it; as first by a decay'd Battery, which the <i>Dutch</i> + repaired some years ago, retaining the name of <i>the French Battery</i>, + because it seems to have been built by the <i>French</i>; who, as the + Inhabitants say, before the coming of the <i>Portugals</i> harbour'd + there. The <i>Dutch</i> when they won it, found the numerical Figures of + the year thirteen hundred; but were not able to make anything of the two + following Characters. In a small place within also, may be seen a Writing + carved in Stone between two old Pillars, but so impair'd and worn out by + the weather that it is not legible.' At Groree, too, similar remains were + reported. + </p> + <p> + The adventurers, it is said, carried on a good trade till 1430-90, when + the civil wars distracting France left her without stomach for distant + adventure; and in 1452 Portugal walked over the course. M. d'Avezac, who + found Porto Santo in a French map of the fourteenth century, [Footnote: <i>Bulletin + de la Société de Géographie</i>, cinquième série, tome v. p. 260. Also + 'Iles de l'Afrique,' in the <i>Univers.</i> Paris, 1868.] seems inclined + to take the part of 'quelques précurseurs méconnus contre les prétentions + trop exclusives des découvreurs officiels.' + </p> + <p> + Barbot's details are circumstantial, but they have not been confirmed by + contemporary evidence or by local tradition. The Portuguese indignantly + deny the whole, and M. Valdez in his 'Complete Maritime Handbook' + [Footnote: <i>Six Years of a Traveller's Life in Western Africa.</i> + London, Hurst & Blackett, 1861.] alludes contemptuously to 'Norman + pirates.' They point out that Diego d'Azembuja, the chief captain, sent in + 1481 to found São Jorje da Mina, our 'Elmina Castle,' saw no traces of + previous occupation. But had he done so, would he have dared to publish + the fact? Professor Azevedo relies upon the silence of Azurara, Barros, + and Camoens concerning the French, the Spaniards, and the English in the + person of Robert à Machim. But this is also at best a negative argument: + the 'Livy of Portugal' never mentions the great mathematician, Martin + Behaim, who accompanied Diego Cam to his discovery of the Congo. In those + days fair play was not a jewel. + </p> + <p> + The truth is that it would be as easy to name the discoverer of gunpowder + or steam-power as to find the first circumnavigator of the African + continent. I have no difficulty in believing that the Phoenicians and + Carthaginians were capable of making the voyage. They were followed to + West Africa in early days, according to El-Idrisi and Ibn. el-Wardi, by + the Arabs. The former (late eleventh century) relates that an Arab + expedition sailed from Lisbon, shortly after the eighth century, and named + Madeira and Porto Santo the 'Islands El-Ghanam and Rákah.' However that + may be, the first Portuguese occupants found neither men nor ruins nor + large quadrupeds upon any of the group. + </p> + <p> + The English accident of hitting upon Madeira, and the romantic tale of + Master Robert à Machim, or Machin, or Macham, and Mistress Anne d'Arfet, + or Darby, or Dorset, which would have suited Camoens, and which I have + told elsewhere, [Footnote: Wanderings in West Africa, vol. i, p. 17. + Chapter II., 'A Day at Madeira,' was written after my second and before my + third visit.] and need not repeat, was probably an 'ingenious account' + invented for politico-international ends or to flatter Dom Enrique, a + Britisher by the distaff-side. It is told with a thousand variants, and + ignored by the learned Fructuoso. According to the apocryphal manuscript + of Francisco Alcoforado, the squire who accompanied the Zargo, this + elopement took place in the earlier days of Edward III. (A.D. 1327-77). + The historian Antonio Galvão fixes upon September 1344, the date generally + accepted. Thus the interval between Machim's death and the Zargo's + discovery would be seventy-four years; and—<i>pace</i> Mr. Major—the + Castilian pilot, Juan Damores (de Amores), popularly called Morales, could + <i>not</i> have met the remnant of the Bristol crew in their Moroccan + prison, and could <i>not</i> have told the tale to the Portuguese + explorers. + </p> + <p> + M. d'Avezac (<i>loc. cit.</i> p. 116) supports the claims of the Genoese, + quoting the charts and portulans of the fourteenth century in which appear + Italian names, as <i>Insule dello Legname</i> (of wood, materia, Madeira), + <i>Porto Sancto, Insule Deserte</i>, and <i>Insule Selvaggie</i>. Mr. R. + H. Major replies that these Italian navigators were commandants of + expeditions fitted out by the Portuguese; and that this practice dated + from 1341, when two ships officered by Genoese, with crews of [footnote: + Amongst the 'ridiculous little blots, which are "nuts" to the old + resident,' I must confess to killing Robert Machim in 1334 instead of + 1344; 'Collegio' was also translated 'College' instead of 'Jesuit + Church.'] Italians, Castilians, and <i>Hispani</i> (Spanish and + Portuguese), were sent to explore the Canaries. + </p> + <p> + 'Holy Port' began badly. The first governor, Perestrello, fled from the + progeny of his own she-rabbit. This imprudence was also committed at + Deserta Grande; and, presently, the cats introduced by way of cure ran + wild. A grass-clad rock in the Fiume Gulf can tell the same tale: sheep + and lambs were effectually eaten out by rabbits and cats. It will be + remembered that Columbus married Philippa, third daughter of the navigator + Perestrello, lived as a mapper with his father-in-law, and thence + travelled, between 1470 and 1484, to Guinea, where he found that the + equatorial regions are not uninhabitable by reason of the heat. He + inherited the old seaman's papers, and thus arose the legend of his + learning from a castaway pilot the way to the New World. [Footnote: + Fructuoso writes that in 1486 Columbus gave food and shelter to the crew + of a shattered Biscayan ship; the pilot dying bequeathed to him papers, + charts and valuable observations made on the Western Ocean.] + </p> + <p> + Long years rolled by before Porto Santo learnt to bear the vine, to breed + large herds of small cattle, and to produce cereals whose yield is said to + have been 60 to 1. Meanwhile it cut down for bowls, mortars, and canoes, + as the Guanches did for shields, its thin forest of 'Dragons.' The + Dragoeiro (<i>Dracaena Draco</i> Linn., <i>Palma canariensis</i> Tourn.), + which an Irish traveller called a 'dragon-palm,' owed its vulgar name to + the fancy that the fruit contained the perfect figure of a standing dragon + with gaping mouth and long neck, spiny back and crocodile's tail. It is a + quaint tree of which any ingenious carpenter could make a model. The young + trunk is somewhat like that of the <i>Oreodoxa regia</i>, or an asparagus + immensely magnified; but it frequently grows larger above than below. At + first it bears only bristly, ensiform leaves, four feet long by one to + three inches broad, and sharp-pointed, crowning the head like a giant + broom. Then it puts forth gouty fingers, generally five, standing stiffly + up and still capped by the thick yucca-like tufts. Lastly the digitations + grow to enormous arms, sometimes eighteen feet in girth, of light and + porous, soft and spongy wood. The tree then resembles the baobab or + calabash, the elephant or hippopotamus of the vegetable kingdom. + </p> + <p> + Amongst the minor uses of this 'Dragon,' the sweet yellowish berries + called <i>masainhas</i> were famous for fattening pigs. The splinters made + tooth-picks which, dipped in the juice, secured health for human gums. But + the great virtue resided in the <i>Sanguis Draconis</i>, the 'Indian + Cinnabaris' of Pliny, [Footnote: <i>N.H.</i> xxxiii. 38.] who holds it to + be the sanies of the dragon mixed with the blood of the dying elephant. + The same semi-mystical name is given to the sap by the Arab pharmists: in + the Middle Ages this strong astringent resin was a sovereign cure for all + complaints; now it is used chiefly for varnishes. The gum forms great + gouts like blood where the bark is wounded or fissured: at first it is + soft as that of the cherry, but it hardens by exposure to a dry red lump + somewhat like 'mummy.' It has no special taste: when burnt the smell is + faintly balsamic. The produce was collected in canes, and hence the + commercial name 'Dragon's blood in reeds.' + </p> + <p> + Mr. P. Barker Webb believed the Dragoeiro to be a species peculiar to the + Madeiras and Canaries. But its chief point of interest is its extending + through Morocco as far as Arabo-African Socotra, and through the + Khamiesberg Range of Southern Africa, where it is called the Kokerboom. As + it is utterly African, like the hippopotamus, the zebra, and the giraffe, + we must account, by transplantation from Socotra, for the D. Draco seen by + Cruttenden in the mountains behind Dhofar and on the hills of El-Yemen. + [Footnote: <i>Journ. R. Geogr. Soc.</i> p. 279, vol. viii. of 1838.] The + line of growth, like the coffee-shrub and the copal-tree, suggests a + connection across the Dark Continent: thus the similar flora of Fernando + Po Peak, of Camarones volcano, and of the highlands of Abyssinia seems to + prove a latitudinal range traversing the equatorial regions, where the + glacial epoch banished for ever the hardier plants from the lower levels. + When Humboldt determined it to be a purely Indian growth, he seems to have + confounded the true 'dragon' with a palm or some other tree supplying the + blood. It was a 'dazzling theory,' but unsound: the few specimens in + Indus-land, 'its real country,' are comparatively young, and are known to + have been imported. + </p> + <p> + The endogenous monster, indigenous to the Elysian Fields, is to the + surrounding vegetation what the cockatrice is to the cock, the wyvern to + the python. I should say 'was,' for all the replants at Madeira and the + Canaries are modern, and resemble only big toothsticks. But 'dragons' + proper have existed, and perhaps memories of these portents long lingered + in the brain of protohistoric man. Even if they had been altogether + fabulous, the fanciful Hellenic mind would easily have created them. The + Dragoeiro with its boa-like bole, its silvery, light-glancing skin, and + its scars stained with red blood, growing in a wild garden of glowing + red-yellow oranges, would easily become the fiery saurian guarding the + golden apples of the Hesperides. + </p> + <p> + Porto Santo and Madeira, though near neighbours, are contrasts in most + respects. The former has yellow sands and brackish water, full of magnesia + and lime, which blacken the front teeth; the latter sweet water and black + shingles. The islet is exceedingly dry, the island damp as Devonshire. + Holy Port prefers wheeled conveyances: Wood-and-Fennel-land <i>corsas</i> + or sledges, everywhere save on the New Road. Finally, the wines of the + northern mite are comparatively light and acidulous; of the southern, + luscious and heady. + </p> + <p> + Both scraps of ground are of kindred although disputed origin. Classicists + [Footnote: Plato, <i>Timaeus</i>, ii. 517. His 'fruit with a hard rind, + affording meat, drink, and ointment,' is evidently the cocoanut. The cause + of the lost empire and the identity of its site with the Dolphin's Ridge + and the shallows noted by H.M.S. <i>Challenger</i>, have been ably pleaded + in <i>Atlantis</i>, &c., by Ignatius Donnelly (London, Sampson Low, + 1882).] find in these sons of Vulcan, the <i>débris</i> of Platonic + Atlantis, a drowned continent, a 'Kingdom of Nowhere,' which some + cataclysm whelmed beneath the waters, leaving, for all evidence, three + shattered groups of outcrops, like the Channel Islands, fragments of a + lost empire, the 'bones of a wasted body.' Geologists, noting that + volcanoes almost always fringe mainlands, believe them destined, together + with the Cape Verdes, to rampart in future ages the Dark Continent with a + Ghaut-chain higher than the Andes. Other theorists hold to a recent + connection of the Madeiras with Mount Atlas, although the former rise from + a narrow oceanic trough some 13,000 to 15,000 feet deep. Others again join + them to Southern Europe and to Northern America. The old Portuguese and + certain modern realists make them a continuation of the Serra de Monchique + in the Algarves, even as the Azores prolong Cintra; and this opinion is + somewhat justified by the flora, which resembles in many points the + tertiary and extinct growths of Europe. [Footnote: Such is the opinion of + M. Pégot-Ogier in <i>The Fortunate Islands</i>, translated by Frances + Locock (London, Bentleys, 1871). Moquet set the example in 1601 by + including Madeira also in the 'Elysian Fields and Earthly Paradise' of the + ancients.] + </p> + <p> + Porto Santo was till lately distinguished only for pride, poverty, and + purity of blood. Her soil, according to the old chroniclers, has never + been polluted, like São Thomé and other colonies, by convicts, Jews, or + other 'infected peoples.' She was populated by Portuguese 'noble and + taintless'—Palestrellos, Calaças, Pinas, Vieyras, Rabaçaes, Crastos, + Nunes, Pestanas, and Concellos. And yet not a little scandal was caused by + Holiport when the 'Prophet Fernando' and the 'Prophetess Philippa' + (Nunes), 'instigated by the demon and the deceitfulness of mankind,' + induced the ecclesiastics to introduce into the introit, with the names of + St. Peter and St. Paul, the 'Blessed Prophet Fernando.' The tale of murder + is told with holy horror by Dr. Gaspar Fructuoso, and the islanders are + still nicknamed 'prophetas.' Foreigners, however, who have lately visited + them, speak highly of their simple primitive ways. + </p> + <p> + I boated to the Holy Port in 1862, when Messieurs Blandy's steamship <i>Falcon</i> + was not in existence. And now as the <i>Luso</i> steamed along shore, no + external change appeared. A bird's-eye view of the islet suggests a <i>podão</i> + or Madeiran billhook, about six miles by three. The tool's broken point is + the Ilha da Cima, facing to north-east, a contorted pile which resembles a + magnified cinder. The handle is the Ilheu Baixo, to the south; and the + blade is the tract of yellow sandy lowlands—the sole specimen of its + sort in the Madeiras—connecting the extremities. Three tall cones at + once disclose vulcanism; the Pico de Facho, or Beacon Peak (1,660 feet), + the Pico de Anna Ferreira (910 feet), and the sugarloaf Pico de Castello + (1,447 feet). The latter rises immediately north of the single town, and + its head still shows in white points the ruins of the fort which more than + once saved the population from the 'Moors.' The lower levels are terraced, + as usual in this archipelago, and the valleys are green with vines and + cereals. The little white <i>Villa Baleira</i> is grouped around its + whiter church, and dotted with dark vegetation, trees, and houses, + straggling off into open country. Here lodge the greater part of the + islanders, now nearly 1,750 souls. The population is far too thick. But + the law of Portugal has, till lately, forbidden emigration to the + islanders unless a substitute for military service be provided; the force + consists of only 250 men, and the term of service is three years; yet a <i>remplaçant</i> + costs upwards of 50<i>l</i>. Every emigrant was, therefore, an energetic + stowaway, who landed at Honolulu or Demerara without shoes and stockings, + and returned in a few years with pounds sterling enough to purchase an + estate and a pardon. Half-a-dozen boats, some of them neat little feluccas + with three masts, are drawn up on the beach: there is not much fishing; + the vine-disease has raged, and the staple export consists of maize in + some quantities; of <i>cantaria,</i> a grey trachyte which works more + freely than the brown or black basalt, and of an impure limestone from + Ilheu Baixo, the only <i>calcaire</i> used in Funchal. This rock is + apparently an elevated coral-reef: it also produces moulds of sea-shells, + delicately traced and embedded in blocks of apparently unbroken limestone. + Of late a fine vein of manganese has been found in the northern or + mountainous part of the island: specimens shown to me by Mr. J. Blandy + appeared remarkably rich. + </p> + <p> + Under the lee of Porto Santo we enjoyed a dry deck and a foretaste of the + soft and sensuous Madeiran 'Embate,' the wester opposed to the Leste, + Harmattan, Khammasin, or Scirocco, the dry wind which brings wet. + [Footnote: The popular proverb is, 'A Leste never dies thirsty.'] Then we + rolled over the twenty-five geographical miles separating us from our + destination. Familiar sites greeted my eyes: here the 'Isle of Wood' + projects a dwarf tail composed of stony vertebræ: seen upon the map it + looks like the thin handle of a broad chopper. The outermost or extreme + east is the Ilha de Fora, where the A.S.S. <i>Forerunner</i> and the L. + and H. <i>Newton</i> came to grief: a small light, one of the many on this + shore, now warns the careless skipper; but apparently nothing is easier + than to lose ships upon the safest coasts. Inside it is the Ponta de São + Lourenço, where the Zargo, when startled, called upon his patron Saint of + the Gridiron; others say it was named after his good ship. It has now a + lighthouse and a telegraph-station. [Footnote: The line runs all along the + southern shore as far as the Ponta do Pargo (of the 'braise-fish,' <i>Pargus + vulgaris</i>), the extreme west. At Funchal the cable lands north of Fort + São Thiago Minor, where ships are requested not to anchor. It is used + chiefly for signalling arrivals from north and south; and there is talk of + extending it to the Porto da Cruz, a bay on the north-eastern side. It + would be of great advantage to Madeira if steamers could here land their + mails when prevented from touching at Funchal by the south winds, which + often last a week. Accordingly a breakwater has been proposed, and + Messieurs Blandy are taking interest in the improvement.] The innermost of + this sharp line of serrated basaltic outliers is the Pedra do Furado, + which Englishmen call the Arch-Rock. + </p> + <p> + The substantial works of the Gonçalo-Machico highway, the telegraph-posts, + and the yellow-green lines of sugar-cane, were the only changes I could + detect in Eastern Madeira. Nothing more charming than the variety and + contrast of colours after the rusty-brown raiment which Southern Europe + dons in mid-December. Even the barren, arid, and windswept eastern slopes + glowed bright with the volcanic muds locally called laterites, and the + foliated beds of saibros and maçapés, decomposed tufas oxidised red and + yellow. As we drew nearer to Funchal, which looks like a giant <i>plate-bande</i>, + tilted up at an angle of 40°, we were startled by the verdure of every + shade and tint; the yellow-green of the sugar and common cane (<i>Arundo + sagittata</i>), of the light-leaved aloe, banana, and hibiscus; the dark + orange, myrtle, and holm-oak; the gloomy cypress, and the dull laurels and + bay-trees, while waving palms, growing close to stiff pines and junipers (<i>Oedro + da Serra</i>), showed the contrast and communion of north and south. + </p> + <p> + Lines of plane-trees, with foliage now blighted yellow and bright green in + February, define the embouchures of the three grim black ravines radiating + from the upper heights, and broadening out as they approach the bay. The + rounded grassy hill-heads setting off the horizontal curtains of dry + stone, 'horticultural fortifications' which guard the slopes, and which + rise to a height of 3,000 feet; the lower monticules and parasitic + craters, Signal Hill, Race-course Hill, São Martinho and Santo Antonio, + telling the tale of throes perhaps to be renewed; the stern basaltic + cliff-walls supporting the island and prolonged in black jags through the + glassy azure of the transparent sea; the gigantic headlands forming + abutments for the upper arch; the chequered lights and shades and the wavy + play of sunshine and cloudlet flitting over the face of earth; the gay + tenements habited in white and yellow, red, green, and, not unfrequently, + blue; the houses built after the model of cigar-boxes set on edge, with + towers, belvederes, and gazebos so tall that no one ascends them, and with + flat roofs bearing rooms of glass, sparkling like mirrors where they catch + the eye of day; the toy-forts, such as the Fortaleza do Pico de São João, + built by the Spaniards, an upper work which a single ironclad would blow + to powder with a broadside; the mariner's landmark, 2,000 feet high, Nossa + Senhora do Monte, white-framed in brown-black and backed by its feathery + pines, distance-dwarfed to mere shrubs, where the snow-winds sport; the + cloud-cap, a wool-pack, iris-tinted by the many-hued western sky, and the + soft sweet breath of the <i>serre-chaude</i> below, profusely scented with + flower and fruit, all combined to form an <i>ensemble</i> whose first + sight Northern travellers long remember. Here everyone quotes, and so will + I:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Hic ver assiduum atque alienis mensibus æstas. +</pre> + <p> + Though it be midwinter, the land is gorgeous with blossoms; with glowing + rose, fuchsia, and geranium; with snowy datura, jasmine, belladonna, + stephanotis, lily, and camelia; with golden bignonia and grevillea; with + purple passion-creeper; with scarlet coral and poinciana; with blue <i>jacaranda</i> + (rosewood), solanum and lavender; and with sight-dazzling bougainvillea of + five varieties, in mauve, pink, and orange sheets. Nor have the upper + heights been wholly bared. The mountain-flanks are still bushy and tufty + with broom, gorse, and furze; with myrtle, bilberry and whortleberry; with + laurels; with heaths 20 feet high, and with the imported pine. + </p> + <p> + We spin round fantastic Garajáo, [Footnote: Not the meaningless Garajão, + as travellers will write it.] the wart-nosed cliff of 'terns' or + 'sea-swallows' (<i>Sterna hirundo</i>), by the northern barbarian termed, + from its ruddy tints, Brazen Head. Here opens the well-known view + perpetuated by every photographer—first the blue bay, then the sheet + of white houses gradually rising in the distance. We anchor in the open + roadstead fronting the Fennel-field ('Funchal'), concerning which the + Spaniard spitefully says— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Donde crece la escola + Nace el asno que la roya. +</pre> + <p> + [Footnote: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Wheresoe'er the fennel grows + Lives the ass that loves to browse.] +</pre> + <p> + And there, straight before us, lies the city, softly couched against the + hill-side that faces the southern sea, and enjoying her 'kayf' in the + sinking sun. Her lower zone, though in the Temperates, is sub-tropical: + Tuscany is found in the mid-heights, while it is Scotland in the bleak + wolds about Pico Ruivo (6,100 feet) and the Paül (Moorland) da Serra. I + now see some change since 1865. East of the yellow-washed, brown-bound + fort of São Thiago Minor, the island patron, rises a huge white pile, or + rather piles, the Lazaretto, with its three-arched bridge spanning the + Wady Gonçalo Ayres. The fears of the people forbid its being used, + although separated from them by a mile of open space. This over-caution at + Madeira, as at Tenerife, often causes great inconvenience to foreign + residents; moreover, it is directly opposed to treaty. There is a neat + group, meat-market, abattoir, and fish-market—where there is ne'er a + flat fish save those who buy—near those dreariest of academic + groves, the Praça Academica, at the east end proper, or what an + Anglo-Indian would term the 'native town.' Here we see the joint mouth of + the torrent-beds Santa Luzia and João Gomes which has more than once + deluged Funchal. Timid Funchalites are expecting another flood: the first + was in 1803, the second in 1842, and thus they suspect a cycle of forty + years. [Footnote: The guide-books make every twenty-fifth year a season of + unusual rain, the last being 1879-80.] The lately repaired Sé (cathedral) + in the heart of the mass is conspicuous for its steeple of <i>azulejos</i>, + or varnished tiles, and for the ruddy painting of the black basaltic + façade, contrasting less violently with the huge splotches of whitewash, + the magpie-suit in which the church-architecture of the Madeiras and the + Canaries delights. The São Francisco convent, with its skull-lined walls, + and the foundations of its proposed successor, the law courts, have + disappeared from the space adjoining the main square; this chief + promenade, the Praça da Constituição, is grown with large magnolias, + vinhaticos, or native mahogany (<i>Persea Indica</i>), and til-trees (<i>Oreodaphne + foetens</i>), and has been supplemented by the dwarf flower-garden (Jardim + Novo) lately opened to the west. The latter, I regret to say, caused the + death of many noble old trees, including a fine palm; but Portuguese, let + me repeat, have scant sympathy with such growth. The waste ground now + belonging to the city will be laid out as a large public garden with + fountains and band-stands. Finally, that soundly abused 'Tower of Babel,' + <i>alias</i> 'Benger's Folly,' built in 1796, has in the evening of its + days been utilised by conversion into a signal-tower. So far so good. + </p> + <p> + But the stump of <i>caes</i>, or jetty, which was dashed to pieces more + than a score of years ago, remains as it was; The landing-place calls + loudly for a T-headed pier of concrete blocks, or a gangway supported upon + wooden piles and metal pilasters: one does not remark the want in fine + weather; one does bitterly on bad days. There has been no attempt to make + a port or even a <i>débarcadère</i> by connecting the basaltic lump Loo + (Ilheu) Fort with the Pontinha, the curved scorpion's tail of rock and + masonry, Messieurs Blandy's coal stores, to the west. Big ships must still + roll at anchor in a dangerous open roadstead far off shore; and, during + wet weather, ladies, well drenched by the surf, must be landed with the + aid of a crane in what should be the inner harbour. The broken-down circus + near Reid's is to become a theatre, but whence the money is to come no one + knows. The leper hospital cannot afford to make up more than nine or ten + beds. The jail is in its old disgraceful state, and sadly wants reform: + here the minimum of punishment would suffice; I never saw the true + criminal face, and many of the knick-knacks bought in Madeira are the work + of these starving wretches. The Funchal Club gives periodically a + subscription ball, 'to ameliorate, if possible, the condition of the + prisoners at the Funchal jail'—asking strangers, in fact, to do the + work of Government. The Praça da Rainha, a dwarf walk facing the huge + yellow Government House, alias Palacio de São Lourenço, has been grown + with mulberries intended for sericulture. Unfortunately, whatever may here + be done by one party (the 'ins') is sure to be undone when the 'outs' + become 'ins.' There has been no change in the 'Palace,' except that the + quaint portraits of one-eyed Zargo, who has left many descendants in the + island, and of the earlier Captains-General, dignitaries who were at once + civil and military, have been sent to the Lisbon Exhibition. The queer old + views of Machim's landing and of Funchal Bay still amuse visitors. Daily + observations for meteorology are here taken at 9 A.M. and 3 and 9 P.M.; + the observatory standing eighty feet above sea-level. + </p> + <p> + As our anchor rattles downwards, two excise boats with the national flag + take up their stations to starboard and port; and the boatmen are + carefully watched with telescopes from the shore. The wiser Spaniards have + made Santa Cruz, Tenerife, a free port. The health-officer presently gives + us <i>pratique</i>, and we welcome the good 'monopolist,' Mr. William + Reid, and his son. The former, an Ayrshire man, has made himself + proprietor of the four chief hostelries. Yates's or Hollway's in the <i>Entrada + da Cidade</i>, or short avenue running north from the landing-place, has + become a quasi-ruinous telegraph-station. Reid's has blossomed into the + 'Royal Edinburgh;' it is rather a tavern than an hotel, admitting the + 'casuals' from passing steamers and men who are not welcome elsewhere. One + of these, who called himself a writer for the press, and who waxed + insultingly drunk, made our hours bitter; but the owner has a satisfactory + and sovereign way of dealing with such brutes. Miles's has become the + Carmo, and Schlaff's the 'German.' The fourth, Santa Clara, retains her + maiden name; the establishment is somewhat <i>collet monté</i>, but I know + none in Europe more comfortable. There are many others of the second rank; + and the Hôtel Central, with its café-billiard and estaminet at the + city-entrance, is a good institution which might be made better. + </p> + <p> + We throw a few coppers to the diving-boys, who are expert as the Somali + savages of Aden, and we quit our water prison in the three-keeled boats, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Magno telluris amore + Egressi +</pre> + <p> + 'Tellus,' however, is represented at Funchal by chips and pebbles of black + basalt like petrified kidneys, stuck on edge, often upon a base of bare + rock. They are preferred to the slabs of Trieste and Northern Italy, which + here, with the sole exception of the short Rua de Bettencourt, are + confined to flights of steps. The surfaces are greased by rags and are + polished by the passage of 'cars' or coach-sleighs, which irreverents call + 'cow-carts;' these vehicles, evidently suggested by the <i>corsa</i>, or + common sleigh, consist of a black-curtained carriage-body mounted on + runners. The queer cobble-pavement, that resembles the mosaics of clams + and palm-nuts further south, has sundry advantages. It is said to relieve + the horses' back sinews; it is never dusty; the heaviest rain flows off it + at once; nor is it bad walking when the kidney-stones are small. The black + surface is sometimes diapered with white pebbles, lime from Porto Santo. + Very strange is the glare of moonlight filtered through the foliage; the + beams seem to fall upon patches of iced water. + </p> + <p> + We had not even the formality of a visit to the Custom-house: our unopened + boxes were expected to pay only a small fee, besides the hire of boat, + porters, and sledges. A <i>cedula interina</i>, costing 200 reis (11<i>d</i>.), + was the sole expense for a permit to reside. What a contrast with London + and Liverpool, where I have seen a uniform-case and a cocked hat-box + subjected to the 'perfect politeness' of certain unpleasant officials: + where collections of natural history are plundered by paid thieves, + [Footnote: When we last landed at Liverpool (May 22), the top tray of my + wife's trunk reached us empty, and some of the choicest birds shot by + Cameron and myself were stolen. Since the days of Waterton the + Liverpudlian custom-house has been a scandal and a national disgrace.] and + where I have been obliged to drop my solitary bottle of Syrian raki! + </p> + <p> + I was hotelled at the 'Royal Edinburgh,' and enjoyed once more the restful + calm of a quasi-tropical night, broken only by the Christmas twanging of + the machete (which is to the guitar what kit is to fiddle); by the + clicking of the pebbles on the shore, and by the gentle murmuring of the + waves under the window. + </p> + <p> + NOTE.—The Madeiran Archipelago consists of five islands disposed in + a scalene triangle, whose points are Porto Santo (23 miles, north-east), + Madeira (west), and the three Desertas (11 miles, south-east). The Great + and Little Piton of the Selvagens, or Salvages (100 miles, south), though + belonging to Portugal and to the district of Funchal, are geographically + included in the Canarian group. Thus, probably, we may explain the + 'Aprositos,' or Inaccessible Island, which Ptolemy + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: The great Alexandrian is here (iv. 6, §§ 33-4) sadly out of his + reckoning. He places the group of six islands adjacent to Libya many + degrees too far south (N. lat. 10°-16°), and assigns one meridian (0° 0' + 0") to Aprositos, Pluitana (Pluvialia? Hierro?), Caspeiria (Capraria? + Lanzarote?), and another and the same (1° 0' 0") to Pintouaria (Nivaria? + Tenerife?), Hera (Junonia? Gomera?), and Canaria.] + </p> + <p> + includes in his Six Fortunates; and the Isle of SS. Borondon and Maclovius + the Welshman (St. Malo). The run from Lizard's Point is laid down at 1,164 + miles; from Lisbon, 535; from Cape Cantin, 320; from Mogador (9° 40' west + long.), 380; and 260 from Santa Cruz, Tenerife. The main island lies + between N. lat. 32° 49' 44" and 32° 37' 18"; the parallel is that of + Egypt, of Upper India, of Nankin, and of California. Its longitude is + included within 16° 39' 30" and 17° 16' 38" west of Greenwich. The extreme + length is thus 37-1/2 (usually set down as 33 to 54) miles; the breadth, + 12-1/2 (popularly 15-16 1/2); the circumference, 72; the coast-line, about + 110; and the area, 240—nearly the size of Huntingdonshire, a little + smaller than the Isle of Man, and a quarter larger than the Isle of Wight. + Pico Ruivo, the apex of the central volcanic ridge, rises 6,050-6,100 + feet, with a slope of 1 in 3.75; the perpetual snow-line being here + 11,500. Madeira is supposed to tower from a narrow oceanic trough, ranging + between 13,200 and 16,800 feet deep. Of 340 days, there are 263 of + north-east winds, 8 of north, 7 of east, and 62 of west. The rainfall + averages only 29.82 to 30.62 inches per annum. The over-humidity of the + climate arises from its lying in the Guinea Gulf Stream, which bends + southward, about the Azores, from its parent the great Gulf Stream, + striking the Canaries and flowing along the Guinea shore. (White and + Johnson's Guide-Book, and 'Du Climat de Madère,' &c., par A. C. + Mourão-Pitta, Montpellier, 1859, the latter ably pleading a special + cause.) + </p> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> </a> + CHAPTER III. — A FORTNIGHT AT MADEIRA. + </h2> + <p> + I passed Christmas week at the 'Flower of the Wavy Field;' and, in the + society of old and new friends, found nothing of that sameness and + monotony against which so many, myself included, have whilom declaimed. + The truth is that most places breed <i>ennui</i> for an idle man. Nor is + the climate of Madeira well made for sedentary purposes: it is apter for + one who loves to <i>flâner</i>, or, as Victor Hugo has it, <i>errer + songeant</i>. + </p> + <p> + Having once described Funchal at some length, I see no reason to repeat + the dose; and yet, as Miss Ellen M. Taylor's book shows, + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: <i>Madeira: its Scenery, and how to see it.</i> Stanford, + London, 1878. This is an acceptable volume, all the handbooks being out of + print. I reviewed it in the <i>Academy</i> July 22, 1882.] + </p> + <p> + the subject, though old and well-worn, can still bear a successor to the + excellent White and Johnson handbook. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: Mr. Johnson still survives; not so the well-known Madeiran + names Bewick, (Sir Frederick) Pollock, and Lowe (Rev, R. T.) The latter + was drowned in 1873, with his wife, in the s.s. <i>Liberia</i>, Captain + Lowry. The steamer went down in the Bay of Biscay, it is supposed from a + collision. I sailed with Captain Lowry (s.s. <i>Athenian</i>) in January + 1863, when St. George's steeple was rocking over Liverpool: he was nearly + washed into the lee scuppers, and a quartermaster was swept overboard + during a bad squall. I found him an excellent seaman, and I deeply + regretted his death.] + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + As early as 1827 'The Rambler in Madeira' (Mr. Lyall) proclaimed the + theme utterly threadbare, in consequence of 'every traveller opening + his quarto (?) with a short notice of it;' and he proceeded at once to + indite a fair-sized octavo. Humboldt said something of the same sort in + his 'Personal Narrative,' and forthwith wrote the worst description of + the capital and the 'Pike' of Tenerife that any traveller has ever + written of any place. He confesses to having kept a meagre diary, not + intending to publish a mere book of travels, and drew his picture + probably from recollection and diminutive note-books. +</pre> + <p> + I found Funchal open-hearted and open-handed as ever; and the pleasure of + my stay was marred only by two considerations, both purely personal. + Elysian fields and green countries do not agree with all temperaments. + Many men are perfectly and causelessly miserable in the damp heats of + Western India and the Brazil. We must in their case simply reverse the + Wordsworthian dictum, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Not melancholy—no, for it is green. +</pre> + <p> + They are perfectly happy in the Arabian desert, and even in Tenerife, + where others feel as if living perpetually on the verge of high fever. + </p> + <p> + To this 'little misery' were added the displeasures of memory. Our last + long visit was in 1863, when the Conde de Farrobo ruled the land, and when + the late Lord Brownlow kept open house at the beautiful Vigia. I need + hardly say that we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves: the impressions of that + good old time were deep and durable. + </p> + <p> + Amongst other things, Governor Farrobo indulged his fair friends with a + display of the old <i>jogo de canas</i>, or running at the ring. The Praça + Academica had been rigged out to serve as a tilting-yard, with a central + alley of palisading and two 'stands,' grand and little. The purpose was + charitable, and the performers were circus-horses, mounted by + professionals and amateurs, who thus 'renowned it' before the public and + their <i>damas</i>. The circlet, hanging to a line, equalled the diameter + of a small boy's hat; and when the 'knight' succeeded in bearing it off + upon his pole, he rode up to be decorated by the hands of a very charming + person with a ribbon-<i>baudrière</i> of Bath dimensions and rainbow + colours. Prizes were banal as medals after a modern war, and perhaps for + the same purpose—to prevent unchristian envy, hatred, and malice. + Almost any trooper in an Anglo-Indian cavalry regiment would have done + better; but then he would have couched his bamboo spear properly and would + have put out his horse to speed—an idea which seemed to elude the + Madeiran mind. The fête ended with a <i>surprise</i> less expensive than + that with which the Parisian restaurant astonishes the travelling + Britisher. A paper chandelier was suspended between two posts, of course + to be knocked down, when out sprang an angry hunch-backed dwarf, who + abused and fiercely struck at all straight backs within reach. + </p> + <p> + Madeira is celebrated for excursions, which, however, are enjoyable only + in finest weather. Their grand drawback is inordinate expense; you may + visit the whole seaboard of Morocco, and run to Tenerife and return for + the sum spent in a week of Madeiran travel. The following tour to the + north of the island was marked out for us by the late Mr. Bewick; his + readiness to oblige, his extensive local knowledge, and his high + scientific attainments caused his loss to be long felt in the Isle of + Wood. 'You make on the first day Santa Anna, on the opposite coast, a six + to eight hours' stage by horse or hammock, passing through the grand + scenery of the valleys Metade, Meiometade, and Ribeiro Frio. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: Most of these places are given in <i>Views</i> (26) <i>in the + Madeiras, &c.</i>, by the Rev. James Bulwer. London, Rivington, 1829. + He also wrote <i>Rambles in Madeira and in Portugal in </i>1826.] + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + The next day takes you to Pico Ruivo, Rothhorn, Puy Rouge, or Red Peak, + the loftiest in the island, whose summit commands a view of a hundred + hills, and you again night at Santa Anna. The third stage is to the + rocky gorge of São Vicente, which abounds in opportunities for + neck-breaking. The next is a long day with a necessary guide to the + Paül da Serra, the "Marsh of the Wold," and the night is passed at + Seixal, on the north-west coast, famous for its corniche-road. The + fifth day conducts you along-shore to Ponta Delgada, and the last leads + from this "Thin Point" through the Grand Curral back to Funchal.' +</pre> + <p> + I mention this excursion that the traveller may carefully avoid it in + winter, especially when we attempted the first part, February being the + very worst month. After many days of glorious weather the temper of the + atmosphere gave way; the mercury fell to 28.5, and we were indulged with a + succession of squalls and storms, mists and rain. The elemental rage, it + is true, was that of your southern coquette, sharp, but short, and broken + by intervals of a loving relapse into caress. In the uplands and on the + northern coast, however, it shows the concentrated spleen and gloom of a + climate in high European latitudes. + </p> + <p> + We contented ourselves with the Caminho do Meio, the highway supposed to + bisect the island, and gradually rising to the Rocket Road (<i>Caminho do + Foguete</i>) with a pleasant slope of 23°, or 1 in 2 1/3. These roads are + heavy on the three h's—head, heart, and hand. We greatly enjoyed the + view from the famous Levada, the watercourse or leat-road of Santa Luzia, + with its scatter of noble <i>quintas</i>, + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: The country-house is called a <i>quinta</i>, or fifth, because + that is the proportion of produce paid by the tenant to the proprietor.] + </p> + <p> + St. Lucy's, St. Anne's, Quinta Davies, Palmeira, and Til. Nossa Senhora do + Monte, by Englishmen misnamed 'the Convent,' and its break-arm slide-down, + in basket-sleighs, is probably as well known, if not better known, to the + reader than St. Paul's, City. Here we found sundry votaries prostrating + themselves before a dark dwarf 'Lady' with jewelled head and spangled + jupe: not a few were crawling on their knees up the cruel cobble-stones of + the mount. On the right yawned the 'Little Curral,' as our countrymen call + the Curral das Romeiras (of the Pilgrimesses); it is the head of the + deluging torrent-bed, João Gomes. Well worth seeing is this broken + punch-bowl, with its wild steep gap; and, if the traveller want a + vertiginous walk, let him wend his way along the mid-height of the huge + tongue which protrudes itself from the gorge to the valley-mouth. + </p> + <p> + Near the refuge-house called the Poizo, some 4,500 feet above sea-level, a + road to the right led us to Comacha, where stood Mr. Edward Hollway's + summer <i>quinta</i>. It occupies a ridge-crest of a transverse rib + projected southerly, or seawards, from the central range which, trending + east-west, forms the island dorsum. Hence its temperature is 60° (F.) when + the conservatory upon the bay shows 72°. Below it, 1,800 feet high, and + three miles north-east of the city, lies the Palheiro do Ferreiro + ('blacksmith's straw-hut'), the property of the once wealthy Carvalhal + house. The name of these 'Lords of the Oak-ground' is locally famous. + Chronicles mention a certain Count Antonio who flourished, or rather + 'larked,' circa A.D. 1500. In those days the land bore giants and heroes, + and Madeiran blood had not been polluted by extensive miscegenation with + the negro. Anthony, who was feller than More of More Hall, rode with + ungirthed saddle over the most dangerous <i>achadas</i> (ledges); a single + buffet of this furious knight smashed a wild boar, and he could lift his + horse one palm off the ground by holding to a tree branch. The estate has + been wilfully wasted by certain of his descendants. Comacha, famous for + picnics, is a hamlet rich in seclusion and fine air; it might be utilised + by those who, like the novel-heroes of Thackeray and Bulwer, deliberately + sit down to vent themselves in a book. + </p> + <p> + Pico Ruivo was a distressing failure. We saw nothing save a Scotch mist, + which wetted us to the bones; and we shivered standing in a slush of snow + which would have been quite at home in Upper Norwood. On this topmost peak + were found roots of the Madeiran cedar (<i>Juniperus Oxycedrus</i>), + showing that at one time the whole island was well wooded. + </p> + <p> + We need not believe in the seven years' fire; but the contrast of the + southern coast with the northern, where the forests primaeval of Lauraceae + and Myrtaceae still linger, shows the same destructive process which + injured Ireland and ruined Iceland. The peculiarity of these uplands, + within certain limits, is that the young spring-verdure clothes them + before it appears in the lower and warmer levels. Here they catch a + sunshine untarnished by watery vapour. + </p> + <p> + During our short trip and others subsequent many a little village showed + us the Madeiran peasant pure and simple. Both sexes are distressingly + plain; I saw only one pretty girl amongst them. Froggy faces, dark skins, + and wiry hair are the rule; the reason being that in the good old days a + gentleman would own some eighty slaves. [Footnote: As early as 1552 the + total of African imports amounted to 2,700.] But they are an industrious + and reproductive race. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +[Footnote: The following note of the census of 1878 was given to me by +my kind colleague, Mr. Consul Hayward:— + + Habitations Males Females Total +Madeira.............28,522 62,900 67,367 130,267 +Porto Santo......... 435 874 874 1,748 + _______ + 132,015 +</pre> + <p> + <i>No. of Persons who can read and write.</i> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Males Females Total +Madeira..............................4,454 4,286 8,740 +Porto Santo.......................... 77 34 111 + ______ + 8,851 +</pre> + <p> + <i>No. of Persons who can read but not write.</i> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Males Females Total +Madeira.......1,659 2,272 3,931 +Porto Santo... 42 60 102 + _____ + 4,033 +</pre> + <p> + Miss Taylor (<i>Madeira</i>, p. 58) reduces to 33,000—evidently a + misprint—this population about four times as dense as that of + Portugal.] + </p> + <p> + Many Madeirans highly distinguished themselves in the Dutch-Brazilian + wars, especially the 'Castriota Lusitano.' His name is unknown; he changed + it when he left his islet home, the townlet Santa Cruz. These islanders + were the model 'navvies' of the age before steam: Albuquerque applied for + Madeirans when he formed the barbarous project of diverting the Nile to + the Red Sea. Their descendants are beggars from the cradle; but they beg + with a good grace, and not with a curse or an insult like the European + 'asker' when refused: moreover, the mendicant pest is not now + over-prevalent. In the towns they cheat and pilfer; they gamble in the + streets; they drink hard on Saturdays and Sundays, and at times they + murder one another. Liquor is cheap; a bottle of <i>aguardente</i> or <i>caxaça</i> + (new raw rum) costs only fivepence, and the second distillation ninepence. + I heard of one assault upon an English girl, but strangers are mostly safe + amongst them. Their extreme civility, docility, and good temper, except + when spoilt by foreigners, makes it a pleasure to deal with them. They + touch their hats with a frank smile, not the Spanish scowl near Gibraltar, + or of Santa Cruz, Tenerife. The men are comparatively noiseless; a bawling + voice startles you like a pistol-shot. I rarely heard a crying child or a + scolding woman offering 'eau bénite à la Xantippe;' even the cocks and + hens tied to old shoes cackle with reserve. The climate tames everything + from Dom to donkey. Except in January and February it is still, intensely + still—the very leaves seem to hang motionless. This softness shows + itself especially in the language, which has none of the abruptness of + European Portuguese. The sound is a drawling singsong; the articulation is + peculiar, and the vocabulary is in some points confined to the Island. + </p> + <p> + The country people, an active, agile, unmuscular race, mostly preserve the + old national dress. Some men still wear, and both sexes once wore, the + ridiculous <i>carapuça</i>, or funnel-cap with a rat-tail for a tassel. + The rest of the toilet consists of homespun cottons, shirts and + knickerbockers, with buff shoes or boots broad-soled and heelless. The + traveller who prefers walking should always use this <i>chaussure</i>, and + the 'little girl in topboots' is still a standing joke. The women affect + parti-coloured petticoats of home-made baize or woollen stuff, dyed blue, + scarlet, brown, or orange; a scalloped cape of the same material bound + with some contrasting hue; and a white or coloured head-kerchief, + sometimes topped by the <i>carapuça</i>, but rarely by the vulgar + 'billycock' of the Canaries. In the villages crimson shawls and capes are + general, and they cover the head like mantillas. + </p> + <p> + The peasant's cot is of the simplest, and those in the plantations suggest + African huts. Even the best houses, except when copied from the English, + are scantily furnished; and little beyond a roof is absolutely wanted. The + home of the <i>cazeiro</i>, or peasant tenant practically irremovable, is + whitewashed and thatched, the straw forming a crest along the ridge. It + covers only one room, converted by a curtain into 'but' and 'ben.' A + parental bed, a rickety table, and two or three stools or settles compose + the necessaries; the ornaments are the saints hanging to the walls, and + for windows there are shutters with a sliding panel. The feeding apparatus + consists of a kind of quern for grinding corn, especially maize, + </p> + <p> + [Foonote: The word is of doubtful origin, generally derived from the + Haytian <i>mahiz</i>. But in northern Europe <i>mayse</i> (Irish <i>maise</i>) + bread, and the Old High German <i>maz</i> (Hind. <i>mans</i>) means meat] + </p> + <p> + which, however, is now too dear for general use; sundry vegetable baskets, + and an iron pot for boiling fish and porridge, arums (<i>Inhame</i>), and + koko (<i>Colocasia esculenta</i>). They have some peculiar dishes, such as + the <i>bolo de mel</i>, a ginger cake eaten at Christmas, and the famous + <i>carne de vinho e alhos</i> (meat of wine and garlic). The latter is + made by marinating pork in vinegar with garlic and the herb called <i>oragão</i> + (origanum, or wild marjoram); it is eaten broiled, and even Englishmen + learn to appreciate a dish which is said to <i>conversar</i>. The stewed + fowl with rice is also national. As everywhere in Portugal, <i>bacalháo</i>, + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: Brevoort derives the word from <i>baculus</i>, the stick which + keeps the fish open; others from the German <i>boloh</i>, fish. In 1498 + Seb. Cabot speaks of 'great fishes which the natives call Baccalaos.' He + thus makes the word 'Indian;' whereas Dr. Kohl, when noticing the + cod-fisheries of Europe, declares that in Germany it is Backljau. Mr. O. + Crawford (<i>Portugal, Old and New.</i> London: C. Kegan Paul, 1880) + rightly notes that 'bacalháo' applies equally to the fresh fish and the + dried fish.] + </p> + <p> + or dried cod-fish, cooked with garlic or onions, is deservedly a + favourite: it contains more nourishment than beef. There is superior + originality amongst the <i>doces</i> (sweetmeats) for which Madeira was + once world-famous; and in the <i>queques</i> (cakes), such as + lagrimas-cakes, cocoanut-cakes, and <i>rabanadas</i>, the Moorish + 'rabanat,' slabs of wheat bread soaked in milk, fried in olive oil, and + spread with honey. The drink is water, or, at best, <i>agua-pé</i>, the + last straining of the grape. Many peasants, who use no stimulant during + the day, will drink on first rising a dram <i>para espantar o Diabo</i> + (to frighten the Devil), as do the Congoese <i>paramatar o bicho</i> (to + kill the worm). + </p> + <p> + Here cleanliness is <i>not</i> next to godliness. People bathe only in hot + weather—the rule of man and the lower mammalia. A quick and + intelligent race they are, like the Spaniards and Bedawi Arabs, a + contradiction in religious matters: the Madeiran believes in little or + nothing, yet he hates a <i>Calvinista</i> like the very fiend. They have + lost, as the census shows, something of their extreme ignorance, and have + abated their worst superstitions since the expulsion of the Jesuits by + Pombal (1759), and the reforms of 1820, 1828, and 1835. In the latter year + Dom Pedro suppressed monkeries and nunneries by disallowing masses, and by + pensioning the holy tenantry with 9 dols. per mensem, afterwards, reduced + to 5 dols. In 1863 the bishop, Dom Patricio Xavier de Moura, did his best + to abolish the pretty <i>refocaria</i> (the hearth-lighter), who, as + Griraldus hath it, extinguished more virtue than she lit fires; and now + the rectory is seldom gladdened by the presence of noisy little nephews + and nieces. The popular morals, using the word in its limited sense, were + peculiar. The number of <i>espostos que não se sabe quem, são seus pais</i> + (fatherless foundlings) outnumbered those born <i>de legitimo matrimonio</i>; + and few of the gudewives prided themselves upon absolute fidelity. This + flaw, which in England would poison all domestic affection, was not looked + upon in a serious light by the islandry. The priesthood used to lament the + degeneracy of the age and sigh for the fine times of <i>foros e fogos</i>, + the rights and fires of an <i>auto-da-fé</i>. The shepherds have now + learned to move with the times and to secure the respect of their sheep. + Imagine being directed to Paradise by a reverend man who gravely asks you + where and what Hanover is. + </p> + <p> + Another important change is being brought about by the emigrant. During + the last few years the old rule has been relaxed, and whole families have + wandered abroad in search of fortune. Few Madeirans in these days ship for + the Brazil, once the land of their predilection. They prefer Cape Town, + Honolulu, the Antilles, and especially Demerara; and now the 'Demerarista' + holds the position of the 'Brasileiro' in Portugal and the 'Indio' or + 'Indiano' of the Canaries: in time he will buy up half the island. + </p> + <p> + In 1862 we hired rowing and sailing boats to visit the southern coast east + and west of Funchal. For the last twelvemonth Mr. Blandy's steam-tug <i>Falcão</i> + has carried travellers to and fro: it is a great convenience to the lazy + sightseer, who cares only to view the outside of things, and here the + outsides are the only things worth viewing. + </p> + <p> + We will begin with the western trip to Paül do Mar, affording a grand + prospect of basaltic pillars and geological dykes, and of the three + features—rocky, sylvan, and floral. Steaming by the mouth of the + wady or ravine Sao João, whose decayed toy forts, S. Lazaro and the + palace-battery, are still cumbered with rusty cannon, we pass under the + cliff upon whose brow stand some of the best buildings. These are the + Princess Dona Maria Amelia's <i>Hospicio</i>, or Consumptive Hospital, + built on Mr. Lamb's plans and now under management of the French <i>soeurs</i>, + whose gull wings are conspicuous at Funchal; the Asylo, or Poor-house, + opened in 1847 for the tempering of mendicancy; and facing it, in + unpleasant proximity, the Portuguese cemetery, decorated as to its + entrance with sundry skulls and cross-bones, and showing its tall + cypresses to the bay. Here comes the Quinta (Comtesse) Lambert, once + occupied by Queen Adelaide. The owner doubled the rent; consequently <i>Las + Angustías</i> (the Agonies), as it was called from an old chapel, has been + unrented for the last two years. A small pleasaunce overhanging a + perpendicular cliff, and commanding a glorious view, shows the Quinta da + Vigia, lately bought by Mr. Hollway for 8,000<i>l</i>., and let at 500<i>l</i>. + to 1,000<i>l</i>, a year. Nothing more charming than its grounds, which + attracted H.I.M. of Austria, and now the charming Countess Tyszkiewicz. + Landward it faces the Rua da Imperatriz, which leads to the 'Loo Fields.' + </p> + <p> + The study of basaltic pillars at once begins: Loo Fort is partly built + upon them. Beyond Vigia cliff we pass in succession three jagged + island-rocks, called 'gurgulhos,' or black-beetles (<i>curculio</i>), + which, like the opposite foreshore, admirably show the formation. As a + rule the columns are quadrangular; I saw but few pentagons and hexagons. + We cast a look at a spouter of circular shape, the Forja, and the Forno, a + funnel-formed blowing-rock. The cliff is pierced with a multitude of + caves, large and small, and their regular arches look as if the ejected + matter, as happens with lava, had cooled and solidified above, while still + flowing out in a fiery torrent below. Mostly, however, they are the work + of wind and water. + </p> + <p> + Then comes the old Gurgulho Fort—a dwarf square, partly thatched and + converted into a private dwelling. It lies below Signal Hill, with its + dwarf ruined tower, a lumpy parasitic crater whose western slopes have + been ruined by disforesting. Between the two runs the New Road, which owes + its being to the grape-famine of 1852. It is the 'Rotten Row' of Funchal, + where horses tread the earth instead of skating and sliding over the + greased pebbles; and where fair amazons charge upon you like Indian + irregular cavalry. Five miles long, it is the only level line of any + extent in Madeira, and it wants but one thing—prolongation. The lion + in the path, however, is Cape Girâo, which would cost a treasure to + 'tunnel' or to cut into a corniche. + </p> + <p> + The next feature is the Ponta da Cruz, a fantastic slice of detached + basalt. Here, at the southernmost point of the island, the Descobridores + planted a cross, and every boatman doffs his cap to its little iron + descendant. Beyond it comes the Praia Formosa, a long line of shingle + washed down by a deep ravine. All these brooks have the same origin, and + their extent increases the importance of the wady. In 1566 the French + pirates under De Montluc, miscalled heretics (<i>hereges Ugnotas</i>) + landed here, as, indeed, every enemy should. The colour of 'Fair Reach' is + ashen grey, scolloped with cinder-black where the creamy foam breaks: for + beauty it wants only golden sands, and for use a few bathing machines. + </p> + <p> + The next notable feature is the Ribeira dos Soccorridos ('River of the + Rescued'), where two of the Zargo's lads were with difficulty saved from + the violent stream then flowing. It is now provided with a long + bridge-causeway of three arches, approached by a chapel, Nossa Senhora das + Victorias, whose tiled and pillared porch reminds one of Istria. This bed + is the drain of the Grand Curral, called by the people 'Das Freiras,' + because the holy women here took refuge from the plundering French + 'Lutherans.' The favourite picnic-ground is reached in three hours from + Funchal by two roads, both winding amongst the pap-shaped hillocks which + denote parasitic cones, and both abutting upon the ravine-side, east and + west. The latter, skirting the Pico dos Bodes (of he-goats), a tall cone + seen from near Funchal, and sentinelling the great gap, is the + joy-for-ever of midshipmites. To the horror of the burriqueiro, or syce, + they gallop hired screws, high-heeled as their grandams, over paths at + which an English stag would look twice; and for a dollar they secure as + much chance of a broken limb, if not of 'going to pot with a young lady' + (Captain Basil Hall's phrase), as reasonable beings can expect. + </p> + <p> + The Grand Curral is the central vent of a volcano originally submarine, + and, like the Peak of Tenerife, of the age miocene. Fossils of that epoch + have been found upon the crater-walls of both. Subsequent movements capped + it with subaerial lavas and conglomerates; and wind and weather, causing + constant degradation, deepened the bowl and almost obliterated signs of + igneous action. This is general throughout Madeira; the only craters still + noticed by guide-books are the Lagos (Lake) de Santo Antonio da Serra, + east of Funchal and west of Machico, 500 feet across by 150 deep; and, + secondly, the Fanal to the north-west, about 5,000 feet above sea-level. + The Curral floor, smooth and bald, is cut by a silvery line of unsunned + rivulet which at times must swell to a torrent; and little white cots like + egg-shells are scattered around the normal parish-church, Nossa Senhora do + Livramento. The basin-walls, some 2,000 feet high and pinnacled by the + loftiest peaks in the island, are profusely dyked and thickly and darkly + forested; and in the bright blue air, flecked with woolpack, Manta, the + buzzard, and frequent kestrels pass to and fro like flies. + </p> + <p> + Beyond the Soccorridos lies the charming valley of Camara dos Lobos, + popularly Cama di Lobos, + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: It is placed west instead of east of Cape Girao in the <i>Conoise + Handbook of Madeira</i>, by the Rev. J. M. Rendell. London: Kegan Paul and + Co., 1881.] + </p> + <p> + the lair of the sea-wolves, or seals. With its vivid lines of sugar-cane, + its terraces, its fine remains of forest vegetation, and its distances of + golden lights, of glazed blue half-lights, and of purple shades, it looks + like a stage-rake, a <i>décor de théatre</i>. Tunny-fishing, wine-making, + and sugar-boiling have made it, from a 'miserable place,' a wealthy + townlet whose tall white houses would not disgrace a city; two + manufactories show their craft by heaps of <i>bagasse</i>, or trash; and + the deep shingly bay, defended by a <i>gurgulho</i> of basaltic pillars, + is covered with piscator's gear and with gaily painted green boats. + 'Seal's Lair' was the model district of wine-production, like its + neighbour on the north-western upland, Campanario, famous for its huge + Spanish chestnut: both were, however, wasted by the oidium of 1852. In + 1863 it partially recovered, under the free use of sulphur; but now it has + been ravaged by the more dangerous phylloxera, which is spreading far + faster than Mr. Henry Vizetelly supposes. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: <i>Facts about Port and Madeira</i>, by Henry Vizetelly, who + visited the island in 1877. The papers first appeared in the (old + original) Pall Mall Gazette (August 26-September 4,1877), and then were + published in a volume by Ward and Lock, 1880] + </p> + <p> + The only cure of this pest known to Madeira is the troublesome and + expensive process practised by a veteran oenologist, Mr. Leacock. + </p> + <p> + He bares every vine-root, paints it with turpentine and resin, and + carefully manures the plant to restore its stamina. Mr. Taylor, of + Funchal, has successfully defended the vines about his town-house by the + simple tonic of compost. But the Lobos people have, methinks, done wisely + to uproot the infected plant wholesale: indeed, from this point to the + furthest west we hardly saw a vine-stock. They have supplied its place + with garden-stuff, an article which always finds a ready sale. The island + is annually visited by at least 500 English ships, and there is a steady + demand for 'green meat.' I am not aware that beet-root, one of the best + antiscorbutics, has been extensively tried. + </p> + <p> + Off Cama di Lobos is the best tunny-fishing. It is practised quite + differently from the Mediterranean style; here the labyrinth of nets is + supplanted by the line of 300 fathoms. At night the bright fires on board + the fishing-canoes make travellers suspect that spears, grains, or + harpoons are used. This, however, is not the case; line-fishing is + universal, and the lights serve mostly for signals. + </p> + <p> + From Cama di Lobos the huge hill-shoulder to the west, whose face, Cabo + Girão, must be ascended by a rough, steep incline. Far easier to view the + scene from a boat. Cape 'Turn Again' is the furthest occidental point + reached by the far-famed exploration of O Zargo. The profile suggests it + to be the northern half of a dome once regular and complete, but cut in + two, as a cake might be, by time and the elements. It has the name of + being the 'highest sea-wall in the world' (1,934 feet); if so, little + Madeira can boast her 'unicum.' Beaching the summit, you either stand up + regardant or you peer couchant, as your nerves incline, down a height + whose merit is to be peculiarly high. Facetious picnickers roll over the + edge-rocks which may kill the unfortunates gathering grass—dreadful + trade!—upon the dizzy ledges. There are also quarrymen who extract + <i>cantaria</i>-slabs for sills and copings from the four square apertures + which look afar like mortice-holes; and a fine marbled stone, white, blue, + and ruddy, has been taken from this part of the cliff-face. Finally, there + is a little knot of tiny huts which sticks like a wasp-nest to the very + foot of the huge wall. + </p> + <p> + Seen from the deep indigo-blue water, that turns leek-green in the + shallows, Cape Girão ('they turn') is a grand study of volcanic dykes. + They are of all sizes, from a rope to a cable multiplied a thousandfold; + and they stand out in boldest dado-relief where the soft background of + tufa, or laterite, has been crumbled away by rain and storm-blast. Some + writers have described them as ramifying like a tree and its branches, and + crossing and interlacing like the ties of a building; as if sundry + volcanic vents had a common centre below. I saw nothing of this kind. The + dykes of light grey material, sometimes hollowed out and converted into + gutters by falling water, appeared to have been shot up in distinct lines, + and the only crossing was where a slip or a fault occurred. + </p> + <p> + A front view of Cape Girão shows that it is supported on either side, east + and west, by buttresses of a darker rock: the eastern dip at an angle of + 45°, the western range between 20° above and 40° below. The great central + upheaval seems to have pushed its way through these older strata, once + straight, now inclined. The layers of the more modern formation—lavas + and scoriae—are horizontal; sheets of sub-columnar, compact basalt + have been spread upon and have crushed down to paper-thickness their beds + of bright red tufa, here and there white with a saline effervescence. Of + such distinct superimpositions we counted in one place five; there may + have been many more. All are altered soils, as is shown by remains of + trees and decayed vegetation. + </p> + <p> + Beyond Cabo Girão the scenery is grand enough, but monotonous in the + extreme. The island is girt by a sea-wall, more or less perpendicular; + from this coping there is a gentle upslope, the marvellous terracing for + cultivation being carried up to the mountain-tops. The lower levels are + everywhere dotted with white farmhouses and brown villages. The colours of + the wall are the grey of basalt, the purple of volcanic conglomerates, and + the bright reds and yellows of tufas. Here and there, however, a thread of + water pouring from the summit, or bursting from the flank, fills a cavity + which it has worn and turned for itself; and from this reservoir the + industrious peasant has diverted sufficient to irrigate his dwarf terraced + plots of cane, bananas, yams, or other vegetables; not a drop of the + precious fluid is wasted, and beds are laid out wherever the vivifying + influence can extend. The water-race down the wall is shown by mosses and + lichens, pellitories, and rock-plants; curtains and hangers; slides, + shrubs, and weepers of the most vivid green, which give life and beauty to + the sternest stone. + </p> + <p> + The only breaks in this regular coast-wall are the spines and spurs + protruding seawards; the caverns in which the surges break and roar, and + the <i>ribeiras</i> or ravines whose heads are far inland, and whose lines + show grey second distances and blue third distances. At their mouths lie + the sea-beaches and the settlements: the latter, with their towered + churches and their large whitewashed houses, look more like detached bits + of city than our notion of villages. Other places are built upon heaps of + <i>débris</i> washed down from the heights, which hold out no promise of + not falling again. The huts scattered amidst the cultivation remind one of + nothing but Africa. In some places, too, a soft layer of tufa has been + hollowed for man's abode, suggesting, like the caves, a fine old + smuggling-trade. As many as eight doors may be counted side by side. In + other places a rock-ledge, or even a detached boulder, has been converted + into a house by masonry-walls. We shall seldom see these savageries on the + eastern coast of the island. + </p> + <p> + The seafaring settlements are connected with the interior by breakneck + paths and by rude steps, slippery with green moss. The people seem to + delight in standing, like wild goats, upon the dizziest of 'jumpy' peaks; + we see boys perched like birds upon impossible places, and men walking + along precipice-faces apparently pathless. The villages are joined to one + another by roads which attempt to follow the sea-line; the chasms are + spanned by the flimsiest wooden bridges, and the cliff is tunnelled or cut + into a <i>corniche</i>. + </p> + <p> + After disembarking passengers at Ponta d'Agua and Ribeira Nova we passed + the great landslip of 1805, Lugar do Baixo. The heap of ruins has long + been greened over. The cause was evidently a waterfall which now descends + freely; it must have undermined the cliff, which in time would give way. + So in the Brazil they use water instead of blasting powder: a trench is + dug behind the slice of highland to be removed; this is filled by the + rains and the pressure of the column throws the rock bodily down. We shall + find this cheap contrivance useful when 'hydraulicking' the auriferous + clays of the Gold Coast. + </p> + <p> + Then we came to Ponta do Sol, the only remarkable site on the trip, famous + for bodice-making and infamous for elephantiasis. Here a huge column of + curiously contorted basalt has been connected by a solid high-arched + causeway with the cliff, which is equally remarkable, showing a central + boss of stone with lines radiating quaquaversally. There are outer steps + and an inner flight leading under a blind archway, the latter supplied + with a crane. The landing in the <i>levadia</i>, or surf, is abominable + and a life-boat waits accidents outside. It works with the heavy Madeiran + oars, square near the grip and provided with a board into whose hole the + pin fits. The townlet, capital of the 'comarca,' fronted by its little + Alameda and a strip of beach upon which I should prefer to debark, shows a + tall factory-chimney, noting the sugar-works of Wilhabram Bros. There is a + still larger establishment at the Serra d'Agoa in the Arco [Footnote: <i>Arco</i> + (bow, arch) is locally applied to a ridge or to the district bounded by + it.] da Calheta (Arch of the Creeklet), a property of the Visconde de + Calçada. The guide-books mention iron pyrites and specular iron in small + quantities behind Ponta do Sol. + </p> + <p> + Passing the deep ravine, Ribeiro Fundo, and the Ponta da Galéra, with its + rooky spur, we sighted Jardim do Mar, a village on a mound of <i>débris</i> + with black walls of dry stone defending the terraces from surf and spray. + The furthest point, where we halted half an hour, is 'Paül do Mar' (Swamp + of the Sea), apparently a misnomer. It is the port of the Fajãa da Ovelha + (Ewe's landslip), whose white tenements we see perched on the <i>estreito</i>, + or tall horizon-slope. The large harbour-town is backed by a waterfall + which may prove disastrous to it; its lands were formerly famous for the + high-priced <i>malvasia Candida</i>—Candia malmsey. + </p> + <p> + The day had been delightful, 'June weather' in fickle April. The sea was + smooth as glass, and the skies, sunny in the morning and starry at night, + were canopied during the day by clouds banking up from the south-east. The + western wind blew crisp and cold. This phase of climate often lasts till + the end of June, and renders early summer endurable at Madeira. The + steam-tug was more punctual going than coming. She left Funchal at 9 A.M., + reached Paül do Mar at half-past twelve, covering some twenty-one direct + knots; and returned to her moorings, crowded with passengers, at half-past + five, instead of half-past four. My companion, M. Dahse, and I agreed that + the coast was well worth seeing. + </p> + <p> + It would hardly be fair to leave Madeira without a visit to Machico, the + scene of Machim's apocryphal death. The realists derive the name from + Algarvan Monchique. I have made it on foot, on horseback, and by boat, but + never so comfortably as when on board the steam-tug <i>Falcão</i>. + Garajáo, whose ruddy rocks of volcanic tufa, embedding bits of lava, + probably entitled it 'Brazenhead,' is worth inspecting from the sea. + Possibly the classic term 'Purple Islands' may have arisen from the fiery + red hue of the volcanic cliffs seen at the sunset hour. Like Girão, the + middle block of Tern Point is horizontally stratified, while the western + abutment slopes to the water. Eastward, however, there has been immense + degradation; half the dome has been shaken down and washed away; while a + succession of upheavals and earthquakes has contorted the strata in the + strangest manner. Seen from Funchal, the profile of Garajáo is that of an + elephant's head, the mahaut sitting behind it in the shape of a red-brown + boss, the expanded head of a double dyke seaming the tufas of the eastern + face. We distinguish on the brow two 'dragons,' puny descendants of the + aboriginal monsters. Beyond Garajáo the shore falls flat, and the upland + soil is red as that of Devonshire. It is broken by the Ponta da Oliveira, + where there is ne'er an olive-tree, and by the grim ravine of Porto de + Caniço o Bispo, the 'bishop' being a basaltic pillar with mitre and + pontifical robes sitting in a cave of the same material. I find a better + <i>episkopos</i> at Ponta da Atalaia, 'Sentinel Point.' Head, profile, and + shoulders are well defined; the hands rest upon the knees, and the plaited + folds of the dress are well expressed by the basaltic columns of the + central upheaval. Beyond Porto Novo do Cal, with its old fort and its + limekiln, is the chapel of São Pedro, famous for its <i>romeiro</i>, + 'pattern' or pilgrimage for St. Peter's Day. June 29 is kept even at + Funchal by water-excursions; it is homage enough to pay a penny and to go + round the ships. + </p> + <p> + We anchored and screamed abominably off Santa Cruz, the capital of its + 'comarca.' The townlet lies on the left of a large ravine, whose upper bed + contains the Madre d'Agoa, or water-reservoir. The settlement, fronted by + its line of trees, the Alameda, and by its broad beach strewed with boats, + consists of white, red, and yellow houses, one-, two-, and three-storied; + of a white-steepled church and of a new market-place. East of it, and + facing south, lies the large house of 'the Squire' (Mr. H. B. Blandy), a + villa whose feet are washed by the waves; the garden shows the lovely + union, here common, of pine and palm. The latter, however, promises much + and performs little, refusing, like the olive, to bear ripe fruit. Beyond + the Squire's is the hotel, approached by a shady avenue: it is the most + comfortable in the island after the four of Funchal. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: There are only two other country inns, both on the northern + coast. The first is at Santa Anna, some 20 miles north-north-east of the + capital; the second at São Vicente, to the north-west. All three are kept + by natives of Madeira. Unless you write to warn the owners that you are + coming, the first will be a 'banyan-day,' the second comfortable enough. + This must be expected; it is the Istrian 'Città Nuova, chi porta trova.'] + </p> + <p> + Santa Cruz has a regular spring-season; and the few residents of the + capital frequent it to enjoy the sea-breeze, which to-day (April 23) blows + a trifle too fresh. + </p> + <p> + We then pass the Ponta da Queimada, whose layers of basalt are deeply + caverned, and we open the Bay of Machico. The site, a broad, green and + riant valley, with a high background, is softer and gayer than that of + Funchal. It has been well sketched in 'Views in the Madeiras,' and by the + Norwegian artist Johan F. Eckersberg in folio, with letterpress by Mr. + Johnson of the guide-book. The 'Falcon' anchors close to the + landing-stairs, under a grim, grey old fort, O Desembarcadouro, originally + a tower, and now apparently a dwelling-place. The <i>débarcadère</i> has + the usual lamp and the three iron chains intended to prevent accidents. + </p> + <p> + The prosperous little fishing-village, formerly the capital of <i>the</i> + Tristam, lies as usual upon a wady, the S. Gonsales, and consists of a + beach, an Alameda, a church with a square tower, and some good houses. + Twenty years ago the people had almost forgotten a story which named the + settlement; and the impromptu cicerone carried strangers who sought the + scene of Machim's death to the Quinta de Santa Anna, + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: Here Mr. White made some of his meteorological observations. + VOL. I.] + </p> + <p> + well situated upon a land-tongue up the valley; to the parish church, + which was in a state of chronic repair, and in fact to every place but the + right. The latter is now supposed to be the little <i>Ermida</i> (chapel) + <i>de N. S. da Visitação.</i> with its long steps and wall-belfry on the + beach and the left jaw of the wady: it is a mere humbug, for the original + building was washed away by the flood of 1803. In those days, too, + visitors vainly asked for the 'remains of Machim's cross, collected and + deposited here by Robert Page, 1825.' Now a piece of it is shown in frame. + About 1863 I was told that a member of the family, whose name, it is said, + still survives about Bristol, wished to mark the site by a monument—decidedly + encouraging to Gretna-Greenism. + </p> + <p> + From Machico Bay we see the Fora and other eastern outliers which form the + Madeiran hatchet-handle. Some enthusiasts prolong the trip to what is + called the 'Fossil-bed,' whose mere agglomerations of calcareous matter + are not fossils at all. The sail, however, gives fine views of the + 'Deserters' (<i>Desertas</i>), beginning with the 'Ship Rock,' a stack or + needle mistaken in fogs for a craft under sail. Next to it lies the Ilheu + Chão, the Northern or Table Deserta, not unlike Alderney or a Périgord + pie. Deserta Grande has midway precipices 2,000 feet high, bisected by a + lateral valley, where the chief landing is. Finally, Cu de Bugio (as + Cordeyro terms it) is in plan a long thin strip, and in elevation a + miniature of its big brother, with the additions of sundry jags and peaks. + </p> + <p> + The group is too windy for cereals, but it grows spontaneously orchil and + barilla (<i>Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum</i>), burnt for soda. Few + strangers visit it, and many old residents have never attempted the + excursion. It is not, however, unknown to sportsmen, who land—with + leave—upon the main island and shoot the handsome 'Deserta petrels,' + the <i>cagarras</i> (<i>Puffinus major</i>, or sheerwater), the rabbits, + the goats that have now run wild, and possibly a seal. A poisonous spider + is here noticed by the guide-books, and the sea supplies the edible <i>pulvo + (octopus)</i> and the dreaded <i>urgamanta</i>. This huge ray (?) enwraps + the swimmer in its mighty double flaps and drags him to the bottom, + paralysing him by the wet shroud and the dreadful stare of its hideous + eyes. + </p> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> </a> + CHAPTER IV. — MADEIRA (<i>continued</i>)—CHRISTMAS—SMALL + INDUSTRIES— + </h2> + <h3> + WINE—DEPARTURE FOR TENERIFE. + </h3> + <p> + The Christmas of 1881 at Madeira could by no means be called gay. The + foreign colony was hospitable, as usual, with dinners, dances, and + Christmas trees. But amongst the people festivities seemed to consist + chiefly of promenading one's best clothes about the military band and + firing royal salutes, not to speak of pistols and squibs. The noise + reminded me of Natal amongst the Cairene Greeks; here, as in the Brazil, + if you give a boy a copper he expends it not on lollipops, but on + fireworks. We wished one another <i>boas entradas</i>, the 'buon' + principio' of Italy, and remembered the procession of seventeen years ago. + The life-sized figures, coarsely carved in wood and dressed in real + clothes, were St. Francis, St. Antonio de Noto, a negro (Madeiran + Catholics recognise no 'aristocracy of the skin'); a couple of married + saints (for even matrimony may be sanctified), SS. Bono and Luzia, with + half a dozen others. The several platforms, carried by the brotherhoods in + purple copes, were preceded by the clergy with banners and crosses and + were followed by soldiers. The latter then consisted of a battalion of <i>caçadores</i>, + 480 to 500 men, raised in the island and commanded by a colonel entitled + 'Military Governor.' They are small, dark figures compared with the burly + Portuguese artillerymen stationed at the Loo Fort and São Thiago Battery, + and they are armed with old English sniders. + </p> + <p> + Behind the Tree of Penitence and the crosses of the orders came an Ecce + Homo and a bit of the 'true Cross' shaded by a canopy. The peasantry, who + crowded into town—they do so no longer—knelt to kiss whatever + was kissable, and dodged up and down the back streets to gain + opportunities. Even the higher ranks were afoot; they used to acquire in + infancy a relish for these mild amusements. And one thing is to be noted + in favour of the processions; the taste of town-decoration was excellent, + and the combinations of floral colours were admirable. Perhaps there is + too much of nosegay in Madeira, making us remember the line— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Posthume, non bene olet qui bane semper olet. +</pre> + <p> + I went to the Jesuit church to hear the <i>predica</i>, or sermon. The + preacher does not part his hair 'amidships,' or display cambric and + diamond-rings, yet his manner is none the less <i>maniérée</i>. For him + and his order, in Portugal as in Spain, the strictest minutiae of + demeanour and deportment are laid down. The body should be borne upright, + but not stuck up, and when the congregation is addressed the chest is + slightly advanced. The dorsal region must never face the Sacrament; this + would be turning one's back, as it were, upon the Deity. The elbow may not + rest upon the cushion. The head, held erect, but not haughtily, should + move upon the atlas gently and suavely, avoiding 'lightness' and undue + vivacity. The lips must not smile; but, when occasion calls for it, they + may display a saintly joy. The eyebrows must not be raised too high + towards the hair-roots; nor should one be elevated while the other is + depressed. The voice should be at times <i>tremolando</i>, and the tone + periodically 'sing-song.' Finally, the eyes are ordered to wander + indiscriminately, and with all pudicity, over the whole flock, and never + to be fixed upon a pretty lamb. + </p> + <p> + Our countrymen are not over-popular in Portugal or in Madeira; such mortal + insults as those offered by Byron, to name only the corypheus, will rankle + and can never be forgotten. In this island strangers, especially + Englishmen, have a bad practice of not calling upon the two governors, + civil and military. The former, Visconde de Villa Mendo, is exceptional; + he likes England and the English. As a rule the highest classes mix well + with strangers; not so the <i>medio ceto</i> who, under a constitutional + <i>régime</i>, rule the roast. Men with small fixed incomes have little to + thank us for; we make things dear, and we benefit only the working men. + Bourgeois exactions have driven both French ships and American whalers to + Tenerife; and many of them would do the same with the English and German + residents and visitors of Funchal. Not a few have noble and historic + names, whose owners are fallen into extreme poverty. Professor Azevedo's + book is also a <i>nobiliaire de Madère</i>. The last generation used to be + remarkably prim and precise, in dress as in language and manner. They + never spoke of 'hogs' or 'horns,' and they wore the skimpy waistcoats and + the regulation whiskers of Wellington's day. The fair sex appeared only at + 'functions,' at church, and at the Sunday promenade in the Place. The + moderns dress better than their parents, who affected the most violent + colours, an exceedingly pink pink upon a remarkably green green; and the + shape of the garment was an obsolete caricature of London and Paris. They + no longer assume the peculiar waddle, looking as if the lower limbs were + unequal to the weight of the upper story; but the walk never equals that + of the Spanish woman. This applies to Portugal as well. The strong points, + here as in the Peninsula, are velvety black eyes and blue-black hair + dressed <i>à la Diane</i>. It is still the fashion, as at Lisbon, to look + somewhat <i>boudeuse</i> when abroad, by way of hint that man must not + expect too much; yet these cross faces at home or with intimates are those + of <i>bonnes enfants</i>. Lastly, the dark complexions and the irregular + features do not contrast well with the charming faces and figures of + Tenerife, who mingle the beauty of Guanchedom with that of Spain and + Ireland. + </p> + <p> + The list of public amusements at Funchal is not extensive. Years ago the + theatre was converted into a grain-store, and now it is a wine-store. The + circus of lumber has been transferred from under the Peak Fort to near the + sea; it mostly lacks men and horses. The Germans have a tolerable lending + library; and the public <i>bibliotheca</i> in the Town House, near the + Jesuit church, is rich in old volumes, mostly collected from religious + houses. In 1851 the books numbered 1,800; now they may be 2,000; kept neat + and clean in two rooms of the fine solid old building. Of course the + collection is somewhat mixed, Fox's 'Martyrs' and the 'Lives of the + Saints' standing peacefully near the 'Encyclopédie' and Voltaire. A + catalogue can hardly be expected. + </p> + <p> + There are three Masonic lodges and two Portuguese clubs, one good, the + other not; and the former (Club Funchalense), well lodged in a house + belonging to Viscountess Torre Bella, gives some twice or three times a + year very enjoyable balls. The Café Central, with <i>estaminet</i> and + French billiard-table, is much frequented by the youth of the town, but + not by residents. The great institution is the club called the 'English + Rooms,' which has been removed from over a shop in the Aljube to + Viscondessa de Torre Bella's house in the Rua da Alfandega. The British + Consulate is under the same roof, and next door is Messieurs Blandy's + ubiquitous 'Steamer Agency.' The roomy and comfortable quarters, with a + fine covered balcony looking out upon the sea, are open to both sexes. The + collection of books is old; but the sum of 100<i>l</i>. laid out on works + of reference would bring it fairly up to the level of the average English + country-club. Strangers' names were hospitably put down by any proprietary + member as guests and visitors if they did not outstay the fortnight; + otherwise they became subscribers. But crowding was the result, and the + term has been reduced to three days: a month's subscription, however, + costs only 10<i>s</i>. 6<i>d</i>. The doors close at 7.30 P.M.: I used to + think this an old-world custom kept up by the veteran hands; but in an + invalid place perhaps it is wisely done. + </p> + <p> + The principal <i>passetemps</i> at Madeira consists of eating, drinking, + and smoking; it is the life of a horse in a loose box, where the animal + eats <i>pour passer le temps</i>. After early tea and toast there is + breakfast <i>à la fourchette</i> at nine; an equally heavy lunch, or + rather an early dinner (No. 1), appears at 1 to 2 P.M.; afternoon tea + follows, and a second dinner at 6 to 7. Residents and invalids suppress + tiffin and dine at 2 to 3 P.M. In fact, as on board ship, people eat + because they have nothing else to do; and English life does not admit of + the sensible French hours—<i>déjeuner à la fourchette</i> at 11 A.M. + and dinner after sunset. + </p> + <p> + The first walk through Funchal shows that it has not improved during the + last score of years, and to be stationary in these days is equivalent to + being retrograde. It received two heavy blows—in 1852 the + vine-disease; and, since that time, a gradual decline of reputation as a + sanatorium. Yet it may, I think, look for a better future when the Land + Bill Law system, extending to England and Scotland, will cover the + continent with colonies of British <i>rentiers</i> who rejoice in large + families and small incomes. Moreover, Anglo-African officials are + gradually learning that it is best to leave their 'wives and wees' at + Madeira; and the coming mines of the Gold Coast will greatly add to the + numbers. For the economist Funchal and its environs present peculiar + advantages. The dearness of coin appears in the cheapness of houses and + premises. Estates which cost 5,000<i>l</i>. to 15,000<i>l</i>. a + generation ago have been sold to 'Demerarists' for one-tenth that sum. + 'Palmeira,' for instance, was built for 42,000<i>l</i>., and was bought + for 4,000<i>l</i>. A family can live quietly, even keeping ponies, for 500<i>l</i>. + per annum; and it is something to find a place four to seven days' sail + from England inhabitable, to a certain extent all the year round. The mean + annual temperature is 67.3 degrees; that of summer varies from 70 degrees + to 85 degrees, and in winter it rarely falls below 50 degrees to 60 + degrees. The range, which is the most important consideration, averages 9 + degrees, with extremes of 5 degrees to 35 degrees. The moist heat is + admirably adapted for old age, and I doubt not that it greatly prolongs + life. Youth, English youth, cannot thrive in this subtropical air; there + are certain advantages for education at Funchal; but children are sent + north, as from Anglo-India, to be reared. Otherwise they will grow up + yellow and languid, without energy or industry, and with no object in life + but to live. + </p> + <p> + Madeira has at once gained credit for comfort and has lost reputation as a + sanatorium, a subject upon which fashion is peculiarly fickle. During the + last century the Faculty sent its incurables to Lisbon and Montpellier + despite the <i>mistral</i> and the fatal <i>vent de bise</i>. The latter + town then lodged some 300 English families of invalids, presently reduced + to a few economists and wine-merchants. Succeeded Nice and Pisa, one of + the most wearying and relaxing of 'sick bays;' and Pau in the Pyrenees, of + which the native Béarnais said that the year has eight months of winter + and four of inferno. Madeira then rose in the world, and a host of medical + residents sounded her praises, till Mentone was written up and proved a + powerful rival. And the climate of the hot-damp category was found to + suit, mainly if not only, that tubercular cachexy and those, bronchial + affections and lung-lesions in which the viscus would suffer from the + over-excitement of an exceedingly dry air like the light invigorating + medium of Tenerife or Thebes. Lastly, when phthisis was determined to be a + disease of debility, of anæmia, of organic exhaustion, and of defective + nutrition, cases fitted for Madeira were greatly limited. Here instruments + deceive us as to humidity. The exceeding dampness is shown by the rusting + of iron and the tarnishing of steel almost as effectually as upon the West + African coast. Yet Mr. Vivian's observations, assuming 100 to be + saturation, made Torquay 76 and Funchal 73. [Footnote: Others make the + mean humidity of Funchal 76, and remark that in the healthiest and most + pleasant climates the figures range between 70 and 80]. Moreover it was + found out that consumption, as well as intermittent fevers, are common on + the island, so common, indeed, as to require an especial hospital for the + poorer classes, although the people declare them to have been imported by + the stranger. I may here observe that while amongst all the nations of + Southern Europe great precautions are taken against the contagion of true + phthisis, English medicos seem to ignore it. A Pisan housekeeper will even + repaper the rooms after the death of a consumptive patient. At Funchal + sufferers in every stage of the disease live in the same house and even in + the same rooms. + </p> + <p> + Then came the discovery that for consumptives dry cold is a medium + superior to damp heat. Invalids were sent to the Tyrol, to the Engadine, + to Canada, and even to Iceland, where phthisis is absolutely unknown, and + where a diet of oleaginous fish is like feeding upon cod-liver or + shark-liver oil. The air as well as the diet proved a tonic, and patients + escaped the frequent cough, catarrh, influenza, and neuralgia which are so + troublesome at Funchal. Here, too, the invalid must be accompanied by a + 'prudent and watchful friend,' or friends, and the companions will surely + suffer. I know few climates so bad and none worse for those fecund causes + of suffering in Europe, liver-affections ('mucous fevers'), diarrhoeas, + and dysenteries; for nervous complaints, tic douloureux, and neuralgia, or + for rheumatism and lumbago. Asthma is one of the disorders which shows the + most peculiar forms, and must be treated in the most various ways: here + some sufferers are benefitted, others are not. Madeira is reputedly + dangerous also for typhoid affections, for paralysis, and for apoplexy. + There is still another change to come. The valley north of the beautiful + and ever maligned 'Dead Sea' of Palestine, where the old Knights Templar + had their sugar-mills and indigo-manufactories, has peculiar merits. Lying + some 1,350 feet below the Mediterranean, it enables a man to live with a + quarter of a lung: you may run till your legs fail with fatigue, but you + can no more get out of breath than you can sink in the saline waters of + Lake Asphaltites. When a railway from Jafa to Jerusalem shall civilise the + 'Holy Land,' I expect great things from the sites about the Jordan + embouchure. + </p> + <p> + After the 'gadding vine' had disappeared the people returned to their old + amours, the sugar-cane, whose five loaves, disposed crosswise, gave the + island her heraldic cognisance. Madeira first cultivated sugar in the + western hemisphere and passed it on to the New World. Yet the cane was + always worked under difficulties. Space is limited: the upper extreme of + cultivation on the southern side may be estimated at 1,000 feet. The crop + exhausts the soil; the plant requires water, and it demands what it can + rarely obtain in quantity—manure. Again, machinery is expensive and + adventure is small. Jamaica and her slave-labour soon reduced the mills + from one hundred and fifty to three, and now five. My hospitable friend, + Mr. William Hinton, is the only islander who works sugar successfully at + the <i>Torreão</i>. The large rival mill with the tall regulation + smoke-stack near the left mouth of the Ribeira de São' João, though + inscribed 'Omnia vincit improbus labor,' and though provided with the most + expensive modern appliances, is understood not to be a success for the + Companhia Fabril d'Assucar. + </p> + <p> + Here sugar-working in the present day requires for bare existence high + protective duties. The Government, however, has had the common sense, and + the Madeirans patriotic feeling enough, to defend their industry from + certain ruinous vagaries, by taxing imported growths 80 reis (4<i>d</i>.) + per kilo. A hard-grit free-trader would abolish this abomination and ruin + half the island. And here I would remark that in England the world has + seen for the first time a wealthy and commercial, a great and generous + nation proclaim, and take pride in proclaiming, the most immoral doctrine. + 'Free Trade,' so called, I presume, because it is practically the reverse + of free or fair trade, openly abjures public spirit and the chief + obligation of the citizen—to think of his neighbour as well as + himself, and not to let charity end, as it often begins, at home. 'Buy + cheap and sell dear' is the law delivered by its prophets, the whole duty + of 'the merchant and the man.' When its theorists ask me the favourite + question, 'Would you not buy in the cheapest market?' I reply, 'Yes, but + my idea of cheapness is not yours: I want the best, no matter what its + price, because it will prove cheapest in the end.' How long these + Free-trade fads and fooleries will last no one can say; but they can + hardly endure till that millennium when the world accepts the doctrine, + and when Free Trade becomes free trade and fair trade. + </p> + <p> + As regards <i>petite industrie</i> in Madeira, there is a considerable + traffic in 'products of native industry,' sold to steamer-passengers. The + list gives jewellery and marquetry or inlaid woodwork; feather-flowers, + straw hats, lace and embroidery, the latter an important item; boots and + shoes of unblackened leather; sweetmeats, especially guava-cheese; + wax-fruits, soap-berry bracelets, and 'Job's tears;' costumes in wood and + clay; basketry, and the well-known wicker chairs, tables, and sofas. The + cooperage is admirable; I have nowhere seen better-made casks. The + handsomest shops, as we might expect, are the apothecaries'; and, here, as + elsewhere, they thrive by charging a sixpence for what cost them a + halfpenny. + </p> + <p> + An enterprising Englishman lately imported sheep from home. The native + mutton was described in 1842 as 'strong in flavour and lean in condition;' + in fact, very little superior to that of Trieste. Now it is remarkably + good, and will be better. Silk, I have said, has not been fairly tried, + and the same is the case with ginger. Cotton suffered terribly from the + worm. Chinchona propagated from cuttings, not from the seed, did well. Dr. + Grabham [Footnote: <i>The Climate and Resources of Madeira</i>. By Michael + C. Grabham, M.D., F.R.G.S., F.R.C.P. London; Churchill, 1870.] tells us + that the coffee-berry ripens and yields a beverage locally thought + superior to that of the imported kinds. It has become almost extinct in + consequence of protracted blights: the island air is far too damp. Tea did + not succeed. [Footnote: Page 189, <i>Du Climat de Madère, etc</i>., par C. + A. Mourão Pitta, Montpellier, 1859.] Cochineal also proved a failure. The + true Mexican cactus (<i>Opuntia Tuna</i>) was brought to supplant the + tree-like and lean-leafed native growth; but there is too much wind and + rain for the insects, and the people prefer to eat the figs or 'prickly + pears.' Bananas grow well, and a large quantity is now exported for the + English market. But the climate does not agree with European fruits and + vegetables; strawberries and French beans are equally flavourless. I + remarked the same in the glorious valley of the Lower Congo: it must + result from some telluric or atmospheric condition which we cannot yet + appreciate. + </p> + <p> + Tobacco has been tried with some success, though the results do not equal + those of the Canaries; there, however, the atmosphere is too dry, here it + is not. The <i>estanco</i> (monopoly) and the chronic debt to those who + farm the import-tax long compelled the public to pay dear for a poor + article. Home-growth was forbidden till late years; now it is encouraged, + and rate-payers contribute a small additional sum. Hitherto, however, + results have not been over-favourable, because, I believe, the + tobacco-beds have been unhappily placed. Rich valley-soils and sea-slopes, + as at Cuban Vuelta de Abajo and Syrian Latakia, are the proper habitats of + the 'holy herb.' Here it is planted in the high dry grounds about the + 'Peak Fort' and the uplands east of the city. Manure also is rare and + dear, and so is water, which, by the by, is sadly wasted in Madeira for + want of reservoirs. Consequently the peasants smoke tobacco from the + Azores. + </p> + <p> + The Casa Funchalense, north of the Cathedral, is the chief depôt for + island-growths. It sells 'Escuros' (dark brands) of 20 reis, or 1<i>d</i>., + and 50 reis, according to size. The 'Claros,' which seem to be the same + leaf steamed, fetch from 40 to 100 reis. A small half-ounce of very weak + and poor-flavoured pipe-tobacco also is worth 1<i>d</i>. + </p> + <p> + An influential planter, Senhor João de Salles Caldeira, kindly sent to Mr. + John Blandy some specimens of his nicotiana for me to test in Africa. The + leaf-tobaccos, all grown between 1879 and 1881, at Magdalena in the parish + of St. Antonio, were of three kinds. The Havano was far too short for the + trade; the Bahiano, also dark, was longer; and the so-called + 'North-American' was still longer, light-coloured and well tied in + prick-shape. The negro verdict was, 'Left, a lilly he be foine,' meaning + they want but little to be excellent. The Gold Coast prefers yellow + Virginia, whose invoice price is 7<i>d</i>. per lb. The traders are now + introducing Kentucky, which, landed from Yankee ships, costs 6<i>d</i>. + But, here as elsewhere, it is difficult to bring about any such change. + </p> + <p> + There were two qualities of Madeiran <i>charutos</i> (cigars): one long + Claro which smoked very mild, and a short Escuro, which tasted a trifle + bitter. The blacks complained that they were too new; and I should rank + them with the average produce of Brazilian Bahia. A papered <i>cigarilha</i>, + clad in an outer leaf of tobacco, was exceptionally good. The <i>cígarros</i> + (cigarettes), neatly bound in bundles of twenty-five, were of three kinds, + <i>fortes</i> (strong), <i>entre-fortes</i>, and <i>fracos</i> (mild). All + were excellent and full of flavour; they did not sicken during the voyage, + and I should rank them with the far-famed Bragança of the Brazil. + </p> + <p> + The most successful of these small speculations is that of Mr. E. Hollway. + Assisted by an able gardener from Saint Michael, Azores, where the + pineapple made a little fortune for Ponta Delgada, he has converted Mount + Pleasant, his father's house and grounds on the Caminho do Meio, into one + huge pinery. The Madeiran sun does all the work of English fires and + flues; but the glass must be whitewashed; otherwise, being badly made, + with bubbles and flaws, it would burn holes in the plants. The best + temperature for the hot-houses is about 90° F.: it will rise after midday + to 140°, and fall at night to 65°. The species preferred are, in order of + merit, the Cayena, the black Jamaica, and the Brazilian Abacaxi. The + largest of Mr. Hollway's produce weighed 20 lbs.—pumpkin size. Those + of 12 lbs. and 15 lbs. are common, but the market prefers 8 lbs. His + highest price was 2<i>l</i>., and he easily obtains from 10<i>s</i>. to 15<i>s</i>. + In one greenhouse we saw 2,500 plants potted and bedded; the total numbers + more than double that figure. The proprietor has a steam-saw, makes his + own boxes, and packs his pines with dry leaves of maize and plantain. He + is also cultivating a dwarf banana, too short to be wind-wrung. His ground + will grow anything: the wild asparagus, which in Istria rises knee-high, + here becomes a tall woody shrub. + </p> + <p> + And now of the wine which once delighted the world, and which has not yet + become 'food for the antiquary.' To begin with, a few dates and figures + are necessary. In 1852, that terrible year for France, the Oïdium fungus + attacked the vine, and soon reduced to 2,000 the normal yearly production + of 20,000 and even 22,000 pipes. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +[Footnote: Between 1792 and 1827 the yearly average was 20,000. +In 1813 it was 22,000. + " 1814 " 14,000. + " 1816 " 15,000. +</pre> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +In 1816 it was 12,000. + " 1818 " 18,000. + " 1825 " 14,000. +</pre> + <p> + It then decreased to an average of 7,000 till the oïdium-year (Miss E. M, + Taylor, p. 74).] + </p> + <p> + The finest growths suffered first, as animals of the highest blood succumb + the soonest to epidemics. When I wrote in 1863 the grape was being + replanted, chiefly the white <i>verdelho</i>, the Tuscan <i>verdea</i>. In + 1873 the devastating Phylloxera appeared, and before 1881 it had ruined + two of the finest southern districts. The following numerals show the + rapid decline of yield:—6,000 pipes in 1878, 5,000 in 1879, 3,000 in + 1880, and 2,000 in 1881. There are still in store some 30,000 pipes, + each=92 gallons (forty-five dozen); and a single firm, Messrs. Blandy + Brothers, own 3,000. Mr. Charles R. Blandy, the late head of the house, + bought up all the <i>must</i> grown since 1863; but he did not care to + sell. This did much harm to the trade, by baulking the demand and by + teaching the public to do without it. His two surviving sons have worked + hard and advertised on a large scale; they issue a yearly circular, and + the result is improved enquiry. Till late years the world was not aware + that the Madeiran vine has again produced Madeira wine; and a Dutch + admiral, amongst others, was surprised to hear that all was not made at + Cettes. I give below Messrs. Blandy's trade-prices, to which some 20 per + cent, must be added for retail. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: Sound light medium Madeiras from 26s. to 32s. per dozen, packed + and delivered in London; light, golden, delicate, 36<i>s</i>.; tawny + Tinta, also called 'Madeira Burgundy,' a red wine mixing well with water, + 40<i>s</i>.; fine old dry Verdelho, 48<i>s</i>.; rich soft old Bual, not + unlike Amontillado, 54<i>s</i>.; very fine dry old Sercial (the Riesling + grape), 56<i>s</i>.; and the same for highly-flavoured soft old Malmsey, + 'Malvasia Candida,' corrupted from 'Candia' because supposed to have been + imported from that island in 1445. 'Grand Old Oama de Lobos' is worth 70<i>s</i>., + and the best Old Preserve wine 86<i>s</i>. For wines very old in bottle + there are special quotations.] + </p> + <p> + The lowest price free on board is 23<i>l</i>, and the values rise from 40<i>l</i>. + at four years old to 1OO<i>l</i>. at ten years old. + </p> + <p> + 'Madeira' was most popular in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, + especially at the Court of Francois I. Shakespeare in 'Henry IV.' makes + drouthy Jack sell his soul on Good Friday for a cup of Madeira and a cold + capon's leg. Mr. H. Vizetelly, whose professional work should be read by + all who would master the subject, marvels why and how this 'magnificent + wine' went out of fashion. The causes are many, all easy to trace. Men not + yet very old remember the day when England had no <i>vino de pasto</i> fit + to be drunk at meals; when they found only ports, sherries, and loaded + clarets; and when they sighed in vain for light Rhine or Bordeaux growths, + good <i>ordinaire</i> being to drink what bread is to food. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: This, however, is a mere individual opinion. I have lately read + a book recommending strong and well-brandied wines as preventing the crave + for pure alcohol.] + </p> + <p> + Now, however, the national taste has changed; the supply of Madeira not + sufficing for the demand, the class called <i>boticarios</i> + (apothecaries) brought rivals into the market; and extensive imitation's + with apples, loquats (Japanese medlars), and other frauds, brandied to + make the stuff keep, plastered or doctored with Paris-plaster to correct + over-acidity, and coloured and sweetened with burnt sugar and with boiled + 'must' (<i>mosto</i>) to mock the Madeira flavour, gave the island-produce + a bad name. Again, the revolution in the wine-trade of 1860-61 brought + with it certain Continental ideas. In France a glass of Madeira follows + soup, and in Austria it is drunk in liqueur-glasses like Tokay. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: 'Madeira' is the island modification of the Cyprus and the + Candia (?) grape. 'Tokay' comes from the Languedoc muscatel, and + 'Constantia' from Burgundy, like most of the Rhine-wines.] + </p> + <p> + The island wine must change once more to suit public taste. At present it + ships at the average strength of 18°-25° per cent, of 'proof spirit,' + which consists of alcohol and water in equal proportions. For that purpose + each pipe is dosed with a gallon or two of Porto Santo or São Vicente + brandy. This can do no harm; the addition is homogeneous and chemically + combines with the grape-juice; but when potato-spirit and cane-rum are + substituted for alcohol distilled from wine, the result is bad. The + vintage is rarely ripened by time, whose unrivalled work is imperfectly + done in the <i>estufa</i> or flue-stove, the old fumarium, or in the <i>sertio</i> + (apotheca), an attic whose glass roofing admits the sun. The voyage to the + East Indies was a clumsy contrivance for the same purpose; and now the + merchants are beginning to destroy the germs of fermentation not by mere + heat, but by the strainer extensively used in Jerez. The press shown to me + was one of Messrs. Johnson and Co., which passes the liquor through + eighteen thick cottons supported by iron plates. It might be worth while + to apply electricity in the form used to destroy fusel-oil. Lastly, the + wine made for the market is a brand or a blend, not a 'vintage-wine.' At + any of the <i>armazems</i>, or stores, you can taste the wines of '70, + '75, '76, and so forth, of A 1 quality; and you can learn their place as + well as their date of birth. But these are mixed when wine of a particular + kind is required and the produce becomes artificial. What is now wanted is + a thin light wine, red or white, with the Madeira flavour, and this will + be the drink of the future. The now-forgotten <i>tisane de Madère</i> and + the 'rain-water Madeira,' made for the American markets, a soft, delicate, + and straw-coloured beverage, must be the models. + </p> + <p> + I sampled the new wines carefully; and, with due remembrance of the + peaches in 'Gil Blas,' I came to the conclusion that they are no longer + what they were. The wine is tainted with sulphur in its odorous union with + hydrogen. It is unduly saccharine, fermenting irregularly and + insufficiently. For years the plant has constantly been treated against + oidium with antiseptics, which destroy the spores and germ-growths; and we + can hardly expect a first-rate yield from a chronically-diseased stock. + Still the drink is rich and highly flavoured; and, under many + circumstances, it answers better than any kind of sherry. No more + satisfactory refreshment on a small scale than a biscuit and a glass of + Bual. Moreover, the palate requires variety, and here finds it in a + harmless form. But as a daily drink Madeira should be avoided: even in the + island I should prefer French Bordeaux, not English claret, with an + occasional change to Burgundy. Meanwhile, 'London particular' is a fact, + and the supply will probably exceed the demand of the present generation. + </p> + <p> + I also carefully sampled the wines of the north coast, which had not, as + in Funchal, been subjected to doctoring by stove, by spirits, and by + blend. They are lighter than the southern; but, if unbrandied, some soon + turn sour, and others by keeping get strong and heady. The proportion of + alcoholism is peremptorily determined by climate—that is, the + comparative ratio of sun and rain. In Europe, for instance, light wines + cannot be produced without 'liquor,' as the trade calls <i>aqua pura</i>, + by latitudes lower than Germany and Southern France. When heat greatly + exceeds moisture, the wines may be mild to mouth and nose, yet they are + exceedingly potent; witness the <i>vino d'oro</i> of the Libanus. + </p> + <p> + At Funchal I also tasted a very neat wine, a <i>vin de pays</i> with the + island flavour and not old enough to become spirituous. If the vine be + again grown in these parts, its produce will be drunk in England under + some such form. But Madeira has at last found her 'manifest destiny:' she + will be an orchard to Northern Europe and (like the England of the future) + a kitchen-garden to the West African Coast, especially the Gold Mines. + </p> + <p> + My sojourn at the Isle of Wood and its 'lotus-eating' (which means double + dinners) came to an end on Sunday, January 8, the s.s. <i>Senegal</i> + Captain W. L. Keene, bringing my long-expected friend Cameron, of African + fame. The last day passed pleasantly enough in introducing him to various + admirers; and we ate at Santa Clara a final dinner, perfectly conscious + that we were not likely to see its like for many a month. We were followed + to the beach by a choice band of well-wishers—Baron Adelin de + Vercour, Colonel H. W. Keays Young, and Dr. Struthers—who determined + upon accompanying us to Tenerife. The night was black as it well could be, + and the white surf rattled the clicking pebbles, as we climbed into the + shore-boat with broad cheek-pieces, and were pulled off shipwards. On + board we found Mr. William Reid, junior, who had carefully lodged our + numerous impediments; and, at 10 P.M., we weighed for Tenerife. + </p> + <p> + I must not leave the Isle of Wood, which has so often given me + hospitality, without expressing a hearty wish that the Portuguese + 'Government,' now rhyming with 'impediment,' will do its duty by her. The + Canaries and their free ports, which are different from 'free trade,' have + set the best example; and they have made great progress while the Madeiras + have stood still, or rather have retrograded. The Funchal custom-house is + a pest; the import charges are so excessive that visitors never import, + and for landing a single parcel the ship must pay high port-charges where + no port exists. The population is heavily taxed, and would willingly + 'pronounce' if it could only find a head. The produce, instead of being + spent upon the island, is transmitted to Lisbon: surely a portion of it + might be diverted from bureaucratic pockets and converted into an + emigration fund. It is sad to think that a single stroke of the + Ministerial pen would set all right and give new life to the lovely + island, and yet that the pen remains idle. + </p> + <p> + And a parting word of praise for Madeira. Whatever the traveller from + Europe may think of this quasi-tropical Tyrol, those homeward-bound from + Asia and Africa will pronounce her a Paradise. They will enjoy good + hotels, comfortable <i>tables d'hôte</i>, and beef that does not resemble + horseflesh or unsalted junk. Nor is there any better place wherein to rest + and recruit after hard service in the tropics. Moreover, at the end of a + month spent in perfect repose the visitor will look forward with a manner + of dismay to the plunge into excited civilised life. + </p> + <p> + But Madeira is not 'played out;' <i>au contraire</i>, she is one of those + 'obligatory points' for commerce which cannot but prosper as the world + progresses. The increasing traffic of the West African coast will make men + resort to her for comforts and luxuries, for climate and repose. And when + the Gold Mines shall be worked as they should be this island may fairly + look forward to catch many a drop of the golden shower. + </p> + <p> + The following interesting table, given to me by M. d'Oliveira, clerk of + the English Rooms, shows what movement is already the rule of Funchal. + </p> + <h3> + VESSELS ENTERED IN THE PORT FROM JANUARY 1 TO DECEMBER 31. + </h3> + <p> + Vessels of War + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +Nationality Sailing/Steamers + Frigates Corvettes Schooners/Transports -/Gunboats +American -/1 1/1 -/- -/- +Argentine -/- -/- -/- -/- +Austrian -/- -/- -/- -/- +Belgian -/- -/- -/- -/- +Brazilian -/- -/- -/- -/- +British -/6 -/3 1/10 -/7 +Danish -/- -/1 -/- -/- +Dutch -/- -/2 -/- -/1 +French 2/2 -/- -/1 -/1 +German -/3 -/3 -/- -/- +Italian -/- -/1 -/- -/- +Norwegian -/- -/1 -/- -/- +Portuguese -/- -/- -/- -/2 +Russian -/- -/- -/- -/- +Spanish -/- -/- -/- -/- +Swedish -/- -/1 -/- -/- +Totals: 2/12 1/13 1/11 -/11 +</pre> + <p> + Pleasure Vessels + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +Nationality Steam Yachts + Yachts +American - - +Argentine - - +Austrian - - +Belgian - - +Brazilian - - +British 2 4 +Danish - - +Dutch - - +French - - +German - - +Italian - - +Norwegian - - +Portuguese - - +Russian - - +Spanish - - +Swedish - - +</pre> + <p> + Totals: 2 4 + </p> + <p> + Merchant Vessels + </p> + <p> + Nationality Steamers Ships Barques Barquantines Brigs + </p> + <p> + American - - 3 - - Argentine 1 - - - - Austrian - 1 2 - - Belgian 26 - - - + - Brazilian 3 - - - - British 439 1 9 20 9 Danish - - - - 1 Dutch 1 - - - + - French - - 3 - - German 8 - 16 - 2 Italian - - - - - Norwegian - - 5 1 1 + Portuguese 48 - 3 - - Russian - - 2 - - Spanish - - 2 - - Swedish - - 2 - + - + </p> + <p> + Totals: 526 2 43 21 13 + </p> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> </a> + CHAPTER V. — TO TENERIFE, LA LAGUNA, AND OROTAVA. + </h2> + <p> + When I left, in 1865, the western coast of the Dark Continent, its transit + and traffic were monopolised by the A(frican) S(team) S(hip) Company, a + monthly line established in 1852, mainly by the late Macgregor Laird. In + 1869 Messieurs Elder, Dempster, and Co., of Glasgow, started the B(ritish) + and A(frican) to divide the spoils. The junior numbers nineteen keel, + including two being built. It could easily 'eat up' the decrepit senior, + which is now known as the A(frican) S(tarvation) S(teamers); but this + process would produce serious competition. Both lines sail from Liverpool + on alternate Saturdays, and make Funchal, with their normal unpunctuality, + between Fridays and Sundays. This is dreary slow compared with the four + days' fast running of the 'Union S. S. C.' and the comfortable 'Castle + Line,' alias the Cape steamers. + </p> + <p> + The B. and A. s.s. <i>Senegal</i> is a fair specimen of the modern West + African trader 'improved:' unfortunately the improvements affect the + shareholders' pockets rather than the passengers' persons. The + sleeping-berths are better, but the roomy, well-lighted, comfortable old + saloon, sadly shorn of its fair proportions, has become the upper story of + a store-room. The unfortunate stewards must catch fever by frequent diving + into the close and sultry mine of solids and fluids under floor. There + being no baggage-compartment, boxes and bags are stowed away in the after + part, unduly curtailing light and air; the stern lockers, once such + pleasant sleeping-sofas, and their fixed tables are of no use to anything + besides baskets and barrels. Here the surgeon, who, if anyone, should have + a cabin by way of dispensary, must lodge his medicine-chest. Amongst minor + grievances the main cabin is washed every night, breeding a manner of + malaria. The ice intended for passengers is either sold or preserved for + those who ship most cargo. Per contra, the cook is good, the table is + plentiful, the wines not over bad, the stewards civil, and the officers + companionable. + </p> + <p> + Both lines, however, are distinctly traders. They bind themselves to no + time; they are often a week late, and they touch wherever demand calls + them. The freight-charges are exorbitant, three pounds for fine goods and + a minimum of thirty-six shillings, when fifteen per ton would pay. The + White Star Line, therefore, threatens <i>concurrence</i>. Let us also hope + that when the Gold Mines prosper we shall have our special steamers, where + the passenger will be more prized than the puncheon of palm-oil. But + future rivals must have a care; they will encounter a somewhat + unscrupulous opposition; and they had better ship American crews, at any + rate not Liverpudlians. + </p> + <p> + The night and the next day were spent at sea in a truly delicious climate, + which seemed to wax softer and serener as we advanced. Here the moon, + whose hue is golden, not silvern, has a regular dawn before rising, and an + afterglow to her setting; and Venus casts a broad cestus of glimmering + light upon the purple sea. Mount Atlas, alias the Pike of Teyde, gradually + upreared his giant statue, two and a half miles high: travellers speak of + seeing him from Madeira, a distance of some 260 (dir. geog.) miles; but + this would be possible only were both termini 15,000 feet in altitude. The + limit of sight for terrestrial objects under the most favourable + conditions does not exceed 210 miles. Yet here it is not difficult to + explain the impossible distances, 200 miles instead of 120, at which, they + say, the cone has been sighted: mirage or refraction accounts for what the + earth's convexity disallows. + </p> + <p> + We first see a low and regular wall of cloud-bank whose coping bears here + and there bulges of white, cottony cloud. Then a regular pyramid, at this + season white as snow, shows its gnomon-like point, impaling the cumuli. + Hour by hour the outlines grow clearer, till at last the terminal cone + looks somewhat like a thimble upon a pillow—the <i>cumbre</i>, or + lofty foundation of pumice-plains. But the aspect everywhere varies + according as you approach the island from north, south, east, or west. + </p> + <p> + The evening of January 9 showed us right abeam a splendid display of the + Zodiacal Light, whose pyramid suggested the glow of a hemisphere on fire. + The triangle, slightly spherical, measured at its base 22 degrees to 24 + degrees and rose to within 6" of Jupiter. The reflection in the water was + perfect and lit up with startling distinctness the whole eastern horizon. + </p> + <p> + At 7 A.M. next morning, after running past the Anaga knuckle-bone—and + very bony it is—of the Tenerife <i>gigot</i>, we cast anchor in the + Bay of Santa Cruz, took boat, and hurried ashore. In the early times of + the A.S.S. halts at the several stations often lasted three days. Business + is now done in the same number of hours; and the captain informs you that + 'up goes the anchor' the moment his last bale or bag comes on board. This + trading economy of time, again, is an improvement more satisfactory to the + passenger than to the traveller and sightseer who may wish to see the + world. + </p> + <p> + Brusque was the contrast between the vivid verdure of Sylvania, the Isle + of Wood, and the grim nudity of north-eastern Tenerife; brusquer still the + stationary condition of the former compared with the signs, of progress + everywhere evident in the latter. Spain, under the influence of + anticlerical laws and a spell of republicanism, has awoke from her sleep + of ages, and we note the effects of her revival even in these colonies. A + brand-new red fort has been added to La Ciudadela at the northern suburb, + whence a mole is proposed to meet the southern branch and form a basin. + Then comes the triangular city whose hypothenuse, fronting east, is on the + sea; its chief fault is having been laid out on too small a scale. At the + still-building pier, which projects some 500 yards from the central mass + of fort and <i>cuadras</i> (insulae or house-blocks), I noticed a + considerable growth of buildings, especially the Marineria and other + offices connected with the free port. The old pink 'castle' San Cristobal + (Christopher), still cumbers the jetty-root; but the least sentimental can + hardly expect the lieges to level so historic a building: it is the site + of Alonso Fernandez de Lugo's first tower, and where his disembarkation on + May 3, 1493, gave its Christian name 'Holy Cross' to the Guanche 'Añasa.' + Meanwhile the Rambleta de Ravenal, dated 1861, a garden, formerly dusty, + glary, and dreary as the old Florian of Malta, now bears lovers' seats, a + goodly growth of planes and tamarinds, a statue, a fountain, and generally + a gypsy-like family. By its side runs a tramway for transporting the huge + blocks of concrete intended to prolong the pier. The inner town also shows + a new palace, a new hospital, and a host of improvements. + </p> + <p> + Landing at Santa Cruz, a long dull line of glaring masonry, smokeless and + shadeless, was to me intensely saddening. A score of years had carried off + all my friends. Kindly Mrs. Nugent, called 'the Admiral,' and her amiable + daughter are in the English burial-ground; the hospitable Mr. Consul + Grattan had also faded from the land of the living. The French Consul, M. + Berthelot, who published [Footnote: <i>Histoire naturelle des Iles + Canaries</i>, par MM. P. Barker Webb et Sabin Berthelot, ouvrage publié + sous les auspices de M. Guizot, Ministre de l'Instruction Publique, Paris, + 1839. Seven folio vols., with maps, plans, and sketches, all regardless of + expense.] by favour of the late Mr. Webb, went to the many in 1880. One of + the brothers Richardson had died; the other had subsided into a clerk, and + the Fonda Ingleza had become the British Consulate. The new hotel kept by + Señor Camacho and his English wife appeared comfortable enough, but it had + none of those associations which make the old familiar inn a kind of home. + <i>En revanche</i>, however, I met Mr. Consul Dundas, my successor at the + port of Santos, whence so few have escaped with life; and his wife, the + daughter of an Anglo-Brazilian friend. + </p> + <p> + Between 1860 and 1865 I spent many a week in Tenerife, and here I am + tempted to transcribe a few extracts from my voluminous notes upon various + subjects, especially the Guanche population and the ascent of the Pike. A + brief history of the unhappy Berber-speaking goatherds who, after being + butchered to make sport for certain unoccupied gentlemen, have been raised + by their assailants to kings and heroes rivalling the demi-gods of Greece + and Rome, and the melancholy destruction of the race, have been noticed in + a previous volume. [Footnote: Yol. i. chap, ii., <i>Wanderings in West + Africa</i>. The <i>modorra</i>, lethargy or melancholia, which killed so + many of those Numidian islanders suggests the pining of a wild bird + prisoned in a cage.] I here confine myself to the contents of my note-book + upon the Guanche collections in the island. + </p> + <p> + One fine morning my wife and I set out in a venerable carriage for San + Cristobal de la Laguna. The Camiño de los Coches, a fine modern highway in + corkscrew fashion from Santa Cruz to Orotava, was begun, by the grace of + General Ortega, who died smoking in the face of the firing party, and + ended between 1862 and 1868. This section, eight kilomètres long, occupies + at least one hour and a half, zigzagging some 2,000 feet up a steep slope + which its predecessor uncompromisingly breasted. Here stood the villa of + Peter Pindar (Dr. Walcott), who hymned the fleas of Tenerife: I would back + those of Tiberias. The land is arid, being exposed to the full force of + the torrid northeast trade. Its principal produce is the cactus (<i>coccinellifera</i>), + a fantastic monster with fat oval leaves and apparently destitute of aught + beyond thorns and prickles. Here and there a string of small and rather + mangy camels, each carrying some 500 lbs., paced <i>par monts et par vaux</i>, + and gave a Bedawi touch to the scene: they were introduced from Africa by + De Béthencourt, surnamed the Great. We remarked the barrenness of the + bronze-coloured Banda del Sur, whose wealth is in cochineal and + 'dripstones,' or filters of porous lava. Here few save the hardiest plants + can live, the spiny, gummy, and succulent cactus and thistles, aloes and + figs. The arborescent tabayba (<i>Euphorbia canariensis</i>), locally + called 'cardon,' is compared by some with the 'chandelier' of the Cape, + bristling with wax tapers: the Guanches used it extensively for + narcotising fish. This 'milk plant,' with its acrid, viscid, and virulent + juice, and a small remedial shrub growing by its side, probably gave rise + to the island fable of the twin fountains; one killed the traveller by a + kind of <i>risus Sardonicus</i>, unless he used the other by way of cure. + A scatter of crosses, which are impaled against every wall and which rise + from every eminence; a ruined fort here and there; a long zigzag for + wheels, not over-macadamised, with an older short cut for hoofs, and the + Puente de Zurita over the Barranco Santo, an old bridge made new, led to + the <i>cuesta</i>, or crest, which looks down upon the Vega de la Laguna, + the native Aguere. + </p> + <p> + The 'noble and ancient city' San Cristobal de la Laguna was founded on + June 26, 1495, St. Christopher's Day, by De Lugo, who lies buried in the + San Miguel side-chapel of La Concepcion de la Victorias. The site is an + ancient lava-current, the successor of a far older crater, originally + submarine. The latest sub-aerial fire-stream, a broad band flowing from + north to south—we have ascended it by the coach-road—and + garnished with small parasitic craters, affords a bed and basis to the + capital-port, Santa Cruz. After rains the lake reappears in mud and mire; + and upon the lip where the town is built the north-east and the south-west + winds contend for mastery, shedding abundant tears. Yet the old French + chronicler says of the site, 'Je ne croy pas qu'il y eu ait en tout le + monde aucune autre de plus plaisante.' The mean annual temperature is 62° + 51' (F.), and the sensation is of cold: the altitude being 1,740 feet. + Hence, like Orotava, it escaped the yellow fever which in October 1862 had + slain its 616 victims. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: The list of epidemics at Santa Cruz is rather formidable, <i>e.g.</i> + 1621 and 1628, <i>peste</i> (plague); 1810 and 1862, yellow Jack; 1814, + whooping cough, scarlatina, and measles; 1816-16, small-pox (2,000 + victims); 1826, cough and scarlet ferer; 1847, fatal dysentery; and + 1861-62, cholera (7,000 to 12,000 deaths).] + </p> + <p> + La Laguna offers an extensive study of medieval baronial houses, of + colonial churches, of <i>ermitas</i>, or chapels, of altars, and of + convents now deserted, but once swarming with Franciscans and Augustines + and Dominicans and Jesuits. These establishments must have been very rich, + for, here as elsewhere, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Dieu prodigue ses biens + À ceux qui font voeu d'être siens. +</pre> + <p> + St. Augustine, with its short black belfry, shows a Christus Vinctus of + the Seville school, and the institute or college in the ex-monastery + contains a library of valuable old books. The Concepcion boasts a picture + of St. John which in 1648 sweated for forty days. [Footnote: Evidently a + survival of the classic <i>aera sudantia</i>. Mrs. Murray notices the + 'miracle' at full length (ii. 76).] The black and white cathedral, + bristling with cannon-like gargoyles, a common architectural feature in + these regions, still owns the fine pulpit of Carrara marble sent from + Genoa in 1767. The <i>chef d'oeuvre</i> then cost 200<i>l.</i>; now it + would be cheap at five times that price. In the sacristy are the usual + rich vestments and other clerical curios. The Ermita de San Cristobal, + built upon an historic site, is denoted as usual by a giant Charon bearing + a small infant. There is a Carriera or Corso (High Street) mostly empty, + also the great deserted Plaza del Adelantado, of the conqueror Lugo. The + arms of the latter, with his lance and banner, are shown at the + Ayuntamiento, or town-house; I do not admire his commercial motto— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Quien lanza sabe tener, + Ella le da de comer. +</pre> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +[Footnote: + Whose lance can wield + Daily bread 'twill yield.] +</pre> + <p> + Conquering must not be named in the same breath as 'bread-winning.' There, + too, is the scutheon of Tenerife, given to it in 1510; Michael the + Archangel, a favourite with the invader, stands unroasted upon the + fire-vomiting Nivarian peak, and this grand vision of the guarded mount + gave rise to satiric lines by Vieira:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Miguel, Angel Miguel, sobre esta altura + Te puso el Rey Fernando y Tenerife; + Para ser del asufre y nieve fria + Guardia, administrador y almoxarife. +</pre> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +[Footnote: + Michael, archangel Michael, on this brow + Throned thee King Ferdinand and Tenerife; + To be of sulphur grough and frigid snow + Administrator, guard, and reeve-in-chief.] +</pre> + <p> + The deserted streets were long lines with an unclean central gutter. Some + of the stone houses were tall, grand, solid, and stately; such are the + pavilion of the Counts of Salazar, the huge, heavy abode of the Marquesses + de Nava, and the mansions of the Villanuevas del Pardo. But yellow fever + had driven away half of the population—10,000 souls, who could + easily be 20,000—and had barricaded the houses to the curious + stranger. Most of them, faced and porticoed with florid pillars, were mere + dickies opening upon nothing, and only the huge armorial bearings showed + that they had ever been owned. Mixed with these 'palaces.' were 'cat-faced + cottages' and pauper, mildewed tenements, whose rusty iron-work, tattered + planks, and broken windows gave them a truly dreary and dismal appearance. + The sole noticeable movement was a tendency to gravitate in the roofs. The + principal growth, favoured by the vapour-laden air, was of grass in the + thoroughfares, of moss on the walls, and of the 'fat weed' upon the tiles. + The horse-leek (<i>sempervivum urbium</i>), brought from Madeira, was + first described by the 'gifted Swede' Professor Smith, who died on the + Congo River. Finally, though the streets are wide and regular, and the + large town is well aired by four squares, the whole aspect was strongly + suggestive of the <i>cocineros</i> (cooks), as the citizens of the capital + are called by the sons of the capital-port. They retort by terming their + rival brethren <i>chicharreros</i>, or fishers of the <i>chicharro</i> + (horse-mackerel, <i>Caranx Cuvieri</i>.) + </p> + <p> + From La Laguna we passed forward to Tacoronte, the 'Garden of the + Guanches,' and inspected the little museum of the late D. Sebastian + Casilda, collected by his father, a merchant-captain de long <i>cours</i>. + It was a chaos of curiosities ranging from China to Peru. Amongst them, + however, were four entire mummies, including one from Grand Canary. Thus + we can correct M. Berthelot, who follows others in asserting that only the + Guanches of Tenerife mummified their dead. The oldest description of this + embalming is by a 'judicious and ingenious man who had lived twenty years + in the island as a physitian and merchant.' It was inserted by Dr. Thomas + Sprat in the 'Transactions of the Royal Society,' London, and was + republished in John Ogilby's enormous folio [Footnote: The 'physitian' was + Dr. Eden, an Englishman who visited Tenerife in 1662.—Bohn's <i>Humboldtr</i>, + i. 66] yclept 'Africa.' The merchant 'set out from Guimar, a Town for the + most part inhabited by such as derive themselves from the Antient <i>Guanchios</i>, + in the company of some of them, to view their Caves and the corps buried + in them (a favour they seldom or never permit to any, having the Corps of + their Ancestors in great veneration, and likewise being extremely against + any molestation of the Dead); but he had done many Eleemosynary Cures + amongst them, for they are very poor (yet the poorest think themselves too + good to Marry with the best <i>Spaniard</i>), which endeared him to them + exceedingly. Otherwise it is death for any Stranger to visit these Caves + and Bodies. The Corps are sew'd up in Goatskins with Thongs of the same, + with very great curiosity, particularly in the incomparable exactness and + evenness of the Seams; and the skins are made close and fit to the Corps, + which for the most part are entire, the Eyes clos'd, Hair on their heads, + Ears, Nose, Teeth, Lips, and Beards, all perfect, onely discolour'd and a + little shrivell'd. He saw about three or four hundred in several Caves, + some of them standing, others lying upon Beds of Wood, so hardened by an + art they had (which the Spaniards call <i>curay</i>, to cure a piece of + Wood) that no iron can pierce or hurt it.[Footnote: The same writer tells + that they had earthen pots so hard that they could not be broken. I have + heard of similar articles amongst the barbarous races east of Dalmatia.] + These Bodies are very light, as if made of straw; and in some broken + Bodies he observ'd the Nerves and Tendons, and also the String of the + Veins and Arteries very distinctly. By the relation of one of the most + antient of this island, they had a particular Tribe that had this art + onely among themselves, and kept it as a thing sacred and not to be + communicated to the Vulgar. These mixt not themselves with the rest of the + Inhabitants, nor marry'd out of their own Tribe, and were also their + Priests and Ministers of Religion. But when the <i>Spaniards</i> conquer'd + the place, most of them were destroy'd and the art perisht with them, + onely they held some Traditions yet of a few Ingredients that were us'd in + this business; they took Butter (some say they mixed Bear's-grease with + it) which they kept for that purpose in the Skins; wherein they boyl'd + certain Herbs, first a kind of wild Lavender, which grows there in great + quantities upon the Rocks; secondly, an Herb call'd <i>Lara</i>, of a very + gummy and glutinous consistence, which now grows there under the tops of + the Mountains; thirdly, a kind of <i>cyclamen</i>, or sow-bread; fourthly, + wild Sage, which grows plentifully upon this island. These with others, + bruised and boyl'd up into Butter, rendered it a perfect Balsom. This + prepar'd, they first unbowel the Corps (and in the poorer sort, to save + Charges, took out the Brain behind): after the Body was thus order'd, they + had in readiness a <i>lixivium</i> made of the Bark of Pine-Trees, + wherewith they washt the Body, drying it in the Sun in Summer and in the + Winter in a Stove, repeating this very often: Afterward they began their + unction both without and within, drying it as before; this they continu'd + till the Balsom had penetrated into the whole Habit, and the Muscle in all + parts appear'd through the contracted Skin, and the Body became exceeding + light: then they sew'd them up in Goat-skins. The Antients say, that they + have above twenty Caves of their Kings and great Personages with their + whole Families, yet unknown to any but themselves, and which they will + never discover.' Lastly, the 'physitian' declares that 'bodies are found + in the caves of the <i>Grand Canaries</i>, in Sacks, quite consumed, and + not as these in Teneriff.' + </p> + <p> + This assertion is somewhat doubtful; apparently the practice was common to + the archipelago. It at once suggests Egypt; and, possibly, at one time, + extended clean across the Dark Continent. So Dr. Barth [Footnote: <i>Travels</i>, + &c., vol. iv. pp. 426-7.] tells us that when the chief Sonni Ali died + in Grurma, 'his sons, who accompanied him on the expedition, took out his + entrails and filled his inside with honey, in order that it might be + preserved from putrefaction.' Many tribes in South America and New + Zealand, as well as in Africa, preserved the corpse or portions of it by + baking, and similar rude devices. According to some authorities, the + Gruanche <i>menceys</i> (kinglets or chiefs) were boxed, Egyptian fashion, + in coffins; but few are found, because the superstitious Christian + islanders destroy the contents of every catacomb. + </p> + <p> + In the Casilda collection I observed the hard features, broad brows, + square faces, and <i>flavos crines</i> described by old writers. Two + showed traces of tongue and eyes (which often were blue), proving that the + softer and more perishable parts were not removed. There were specimens of + the dry and liquid balsam. Of the twenty-six skulls six were from Grand + Canary. All were markedly of the type called Caucasian, and some belonged + to exceptionally tall men. The shape was dolichocephalic, with sides + rather flat than rounded; the perceptive region was well developed, and + the reflective, as usual amongst savages and barbarians, was comparatively + poor. The facial region appeared unusually large. + </p> + <p> + The industrial implements were coarse needles and fish-hooks of + sheep-bone. The domestic <i>supellex</i> consisted of wooden ladles + coarsely cut, and of rude pottery, red and yellow, generally without + handles, round-shaped and adorned with scratches. None of these <i>ganigos</i>, + or crocks, were painted like those of Grand Canary. They used also small + basaltic querns of two pieces to grind the <i>gofio</i>, [Footnote: The <i>gofio</i> + was composed of ripe barley, toasted, pounded, and kneaded to a kind of + porridge in leathern bags like Turkish tobacco-pouches. The object was to + save the teeth, of which the Guanches were particularly careful.] or + parched grain. The articles of dress were grass-cloth, thick as matting, + and <i>tamarcos</i>, or smock-frocks, of poorly tanned goatskins. They had + also rough cords of palm-fibre, and they seem to have preferred plaiting + to weaving; yet New Zealand flax and aloes grow abundantly. Their <i>mahones</i> + correspond with Indian moccasins, and they made sugar-loaf caps of skins. + The bases of shells, ground down to the thickness of a crown-piece, and + showing spiral depressions, were probably the <i>viongwa</i>, necklaces + still worn in the Lake Regions of Central Africa. The beads were of many + kinds; some horn cylinders bulging in the centre, and measuring 1.25 inch + long; others of flattened clay like the American wampum or the ornaments + of the Fernando Po tribes; and others flattened discs, also baked, almost + identical with those found upon African mummies—in Peru they were + used to record dates and events. A few were of reddish agate, a material + not found in the island; these resembled bits of thick pipe-stem, varying + from half an inch to an inch in length. Perhaps they were copies of the + mysterious Popo-bead found upon the Slave Coast and in inner Africa. + </p> + <p> + The Gruanches were doomed never to reach the age of metal. Their + civilisation corresponded with that of the Chinese in the days of Fo-hi. + [Footnote: Abel Rémusat tells us that of the two hundred primitive Chinese + 'hieroglyphs' none showed a knowledge of metal.] The chief weapons were + small triangles of close-grained basalt and <i>iztli</i> (obsidian flakes) + for <i>tabonas,</i> or knives, both being without handles. They carried + rude clubs and <i>banot,</i> or barbed spears of pine-wood with + fire-charred points. The <i>garrotes</i> (pikes) had heads like two + flattened semicircles, a shape preserved amongst negroes to the present + day. Our old author tells us that the people would 'leap from rock to + rock, sometimes making ten Fathoms deep at one Leap, in this manner: First + they <i>tertiate</i> their Lances, which are about the bigness of a + Half-Pike, and aim with the Point at any piece of a Rock upon which they + intend to light, sometimes not half a Foot broad; in leaping off they clap + their Feet close to the Lance, and so carry their bodies in the Air: the + Point of the Lance comes first to the place, which breaks the force of + their fall; then they slide gently down by the Staff and pitch with their + Feet on the very place they first design'd; and so from Rock to Rock till + they come to the bottom: but their Novices sometimes break their necks in + the learning.' + </p> + <p> + I observed more civilisation in articles from the other islands, + especially from the eastern, nearer the African continent. In 1834 + Fuerteventura yielded, from a depth of six feet, a dwarfish image of a + woman with prominent bosom and dressed in the native way: it appeared + almost Chinese. A pot of black clay from Palmas showed superior + construction. Here, too, in 1762 a cavern produced a basalt plate, upon + which are circular scrawls, which support the assertions of old writers as + regards the islanders not being wholly ignorant of letters. I could trace + no similarity to the peculiar Berber characters, and held them to be mere + ornamentation. The so-called 'Seals of the Kings' were dark stones, + probably used for painting the skin; they bore parallelograms enclosed + within one another, diaper-work and gridirons of raised lines. In fact, + the Guanches of Tenerife were unalphabetic. + </p> + <p> + Hierro (Ferro), the Barranco de los Balos (Grand Canary), Fuerteventura, + and other items of the Fortunates have produced some undoubted + inscriptions. They are compared by M. Berthelot with the signs engraved + upon the cave-entrance of La Piedra Escrita in the Sierra Morena of + Andalusia; with those printed by General Faidherbe in his work on the + Numidic or Lybian epigraphs; with the 'Thugga inscription,' Tunis; and + with the rock-gravings of the Sahará, attributed to the ancient Tawárik or + Tifinegs. Dr. Gran-Bassas (El Museo Canario), who finds a notable likeness + between them and the 'Egyptian characters (cursive or demotic), Phenician + and Hebrew,' notes that they are engraved in vertical series. Dr. Verneau, + of the Academy, Paris, suggests that some of these epigraphs are + alphabetic, while others are hieroglyphic. [Footnote: <i>El Museo Canario</i>, + No. 40, Oct. 22, 1881.] Colonel H. W. Keays-Young kindly copied for me, + with great care, a painting in the Tacoronte museum. It represents a + couple of Guanche inscriptions, apparently hieroglyphic, found (1762) in + the cave of Belmaco, Isle of Palma, by the ancients called Benahoave. They + are inscribed upon two basaltic stones. + </p> + <p> + I also inspected the collection of a well-known lawyer, Dr. Francisco + Maria de Leon. Of the three Guanche skulls one was of African solidity, + with the sutures almost obliterated: it was the model of a soldier's head, + thick and heavy. The mass of mummy-balsam had been tested, without other + result than finding a large proportion of dragon's blood. In the + fourteenth century Grand Canary sent to Europe at one venture two hundred + doubloons' worth of this drug. + </p> + <p> + By the kindness of the Governor I was permitted to inspect four Guanche + mummies, discovered (June 1862) in the jurisdiction of Candelaria. + Awaiting exportation to Spain, they had been temporarily coffined upon a + damp ground-floor, where the cockroaches respected nothing, not even a + Guanehe. I was accompanied by Dr. Angel M. Yzquierdo, of Cadiz, physician + to the hospital, and we jotted down as follows:— + </p> + <p> + No. 1, a male of moderate size, wanted the head and upper limbs, while the + trunk was reduced to a skeleton. The characteristic signs were Caucasian + and not negro; nor was there any appearance of the Jewish rite. The lower + right leg, foot, and toe-nails were well preserved; the left was a mere + bone, wanting tarsus and metatarsus. The stomach was full of dried + fragments of herbs (<i>Ohenopodium</i>, &c.), and the epidermis was + easily reduced to powder. In this case, as in the other three, the + mortuary skins were coarsely sewn with the hair inside: it is a mistake to + say that the work was 'like that of a glove.' + </p> + <p> + No. 2 was large-statured and complete; the framework and the form of the + pelvis were masculine. The skin adhered to the cranium except behind, + where the bone protruded, probably the effect of long resting upon the + ground. Near the right temporal was another break in the skin, which here + appeared much decayed. All the teeth were present, but they were not + particularly white nor good. The left forearm and hand were wanting, and + the right was imperfect; the lower limbs were well preserved even to the + toe-nails. + </p> + <p> + No. 3, also of large size, resembled No. 2; the upper limbs were complete, + and the lower wanted only the toes of the left foot. The lower jaw was + absent, and the upper had no teeth. An oval depression, about an inch in + its greater diameter, lay above the right orbit. If this be a bullet-mark, + the mummy may date from before the final conquest and submission in A.D. + 1496. But it may also have resulted from some accident, like a fall, or + from the blow of a stone, a weapon which the Guanches used most skilfully. + Mr. Sprat, confirmed by Glas, affirms that they 'throw Stones with a force + almost as great as that of a Bullet, and now use Stones in all their + fights as they did antiently.' + </p> + <p> + No. 4, much smaller than the two former, was the best preserved. The shape + of the skull and pelvis suggested a female; the arms also were crossed in + front over the body, whereas in the male mummy they were laid straight. + The legs were covered with skin; the hands were remarkably well preserved, + and the nails were darker than other parts. The tongue, in all four, was + absent, having probably decayed. + </p> + <p> + These crania were distinctly oval. The facial angle, well opened, and + ranging from 80° to 85°, counterbalanced the great development of the + face, which showed an animal type. A little hair remained, coloured + ruddy-chestnut and straight, not woolly. The entrails had disappeared, and + the abdominal walls not existing, it was impossible to detect the + incisions by which the tanno-balsamic substances, noted by Bory de + Saint-Vincent and many others, were introduced. The method appears + uncertain. It is generally believed that after removing the entrails + through an irregular cut made with the <i>tabona</i>, or obsidian (knife), + the operators, who, as in Egypt, were of the lowest caste, injected a + corrosive fluid. They then filled the cavities with the balsam described + above; dried the corpse; and, after, fifteen to twenty days, sewed it up + in tanned goatskins. Such appears to have been the case with the mummies + under consideration. + </p> + <p> + The catacombs, inviolable except to the sacrilegious, were numerous in the + rockiest and least accessible parts of the island. Mr. Addison found them + in the Cañádas del Pico, 7,700 feet above sea-level. [Footnote: Tenerife: + 'An Ascent of the Peak and Sketch of the Island,' by Robert Edward Alison. + <i>Quarterly Journal of Science</i>, Jan. 1806.] Hence it has been + remarked of the Guanches that, after a century of fighting, nothing + remained of them but their mummies. The sharp saying is rather terse than + true. + </p> + <p> + The Guanches were barbarians, not savages. De Béthencourt's two chaplains, + speaking in their chronicle of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, tell us 'there + are many villages and houses, with numerous inhabitants.' The ruins still + found in the Isles are called 'casas hondas' ("deep houses"); because a + central excavation was surrounded by a low wall. The castle of Zonzamas + was built of large stones without lime. In Port Arguineguin (Grand Canary) + the explorers sent by Alfonso IV. (1341) came upon 300 to 400 tenements + roofed with valuable wood, and so clean inside that they seemed stuccoed. + They encircled a larger building, probably the residence of the chief. But + the Tenerifans used only caves. + </p> + <p> + The want of canoes and other navigating appliances in Guanche-land by no + means proves that the emigration took place when the Canaries formed part + of the Continent. The same was the case with the Australians, the + Tasmanians, and the New Zealanders. The Guanches, at the same time, were + admirable swimmers, easily able to cross the strait, nine miles wide, + separating Lanzarote from La Graciosa. They could even kill fish with + sticks when in the water. The fattening of girls before marriage was, and + is still, a Moroccan, not an Arab custom. The rude feudalism much + resembled that of the Bedawi chiefs. George Glas, [Footnote: <i>The + History of the Discovery and Conquest of the Canary Islands</i>, &c. + 4to. London, 1764. I have given some notices of the unfortunate 'master + mariner' in <i>Wanderings in West Africa</i>, vol. i. p. 79] or rather + Abreu Galindo, his author, says of their marriages, 'None of the Canarians + had more than one wife, and the wife one husband, contrary to what + misinformed authors affirm.' The general belief is that at the time of the + conquest polyandry prevailed amongst the tribes. It may have originated + from their rude community of goods, and probably it became a local + practice in order to limit population. Possibly, too, it was confined to + the noble and the priestly orders. + </p> + <p> + Humboldt remarks, [Footnote: <i>Personal Narrative</i>, chap, i. p. 32, + Bohn's ed. London, 1852.] 'We find no example of this polyandry except + amongst the people of Thibet.' Yet he must have heard of the Nayr of + Malabar, if not of the Todas on the Nilagiri Hills. D. Agustin Millares + [Footnote: <i>Historia de la Gran Canaria</i>. Published at Las Palmas.] + explains the custom by 'men and women being born in almost equal + proportions,' the reverse being the fact. Equal proportions induce the + monogamic relation. + </p> + <p> + Learned M. d'Avezac derives 'Guanche' from Guansheri or Guanseri, a Berber + tribe described by El-Idrisi and Leo Africanus. This is better than + finding it in the Keltic <i>gwuwrn, gwen</i>, white. Older authorities + hold it a corruption of 'Vinchune,' the indigenous name of the Nivarian + race. Again, 'the inhabitants of Tenerife called themselves Guan (the + Berber Wan), one person, Chinet or Chinerf, Tenerife; so that <i>Guanchinet</i> + meant a man of Tenerife, and was easily corrupted to Guanche. Thus, too, + Glas's 'Captain Artemis' was Guan-arteme, the one or chief ruler. Vieira + derives 'Tenerf' or'Chenerf' from the last king; and old MSS. have + 'Chenerife.' The popular voice says it is composed of 'Tener,' mountain or + snow, and of 'ryfe,' snow or mountain. Pritchard [Footnote: <i>Researches + into the Physical History of Mankind</i>, book iii. chap. ii.] applied the + term Guanche to all the Canarian races, and he is reproached for error by + M. de Macedo, [Footnote: 'Ethnological Remarks,' &c., by J. J. de + Costa de Macedo, of Lisbon, <i>Royal Geographical Society's Journal</i>, + vol. ii. p. 172. <i>Wanderings in West Africa</i>, i. 116, contains my + objections to his theory.] who would limit it to the Tenerifans. The same + occurs in the Rev. Mr. Delany [Footnote: <i>Notes of a Residence in the + Canary Islands</i>, &c. London, 1861.] and in Professor Piazzi Smyth, + [Footnote: <i>An Astronomer's Experiment</i>, p. 190. L. Reeve, London, + 1868.] who speaks of the 'Guanches of Grand Canary and Teneriffe.' + According to popular usage all were right, 'Guanche' being the local and + general term for the aborigines of the whole archipelago. But the + scientific object that it includes under the same name several different + races. + </p> + <p> + The language is also a point of dispute: some opine that all the islanders + had one tongue, others that they were mutually unintelligible; many that + it was Berber (Numidian, Getulian, and Garamantan), a few that it was less + distinctly Semitic. The two chaplains of De Béthencourt [Footnote: Bontier + and Le Verrier, <i>Histoire de la première Découverte e Conquête des + Canaries</i>. Bergeron, Paris, 1630.] noted its resemblance with that of + the 'Moors' of Barbary. Glas, who knew something of Shilha, or Western + Berber, made the same observation. But the Genoese pilot Niccoloso di + Recco during the expedition of A.D. 1344 collected the numerals, and two + of these, <i>satti</i> (7) and <i>tamatti</i> (8), are less near the + original than the Berberan <i>set</i> and <i>tem</i>. + </p> + <p> + The catalogue of Abreu Galindo, who lived here in 1591 and printed his + history in 1632, preserves 122 words; Vieira only 107, and Bory de + Saint-Vincent [Footnote: <i>Essai sur les Iles fortunées</i>. Humboldt has + only five.] 148. Webb and Berthelot give 909. Of these 200 are nouns, + including 22 names of plants; 467 are placenames, and 242 are proper + names. Many are questionable. For instance, <i>sabor</i> (council-place) + is derived from <i>cabocer</i>, 'expression par laquelle les nègres de la + Sénégambie dénotent la réunion de leurs chefs.' [Footnote: Vol. i. part i. + p. 223.] As all know, it is the corrupted Portuguese <i>caboceiro</i>, a + headman. + </p> + <p> + Continuing our way from Tacoronte we reached Sauzal, beyond which the + coach did not then run; the old road was out of condition, and the new not + in working order. We offered a dollar each for carrying our light gear to + sturdy men who were loitering and lying about the premises. They shook + their heads, wrapped their old blanket-cloaks around them, and stretched + themselves in the sun like dogs after a cold walk. I could hardly wonder. + What wants have they? A covering for warmth, porridge for food, and, above + all, the bright sun and pure air, higher luxuries and better eudaemonics + than purple and fine linen. At last some passing muleteers relieved us of + the difficulty. + </p> + <p> + The way was crowded with Laguneros, conspicuous in straw-hats; cloth + jackets, red waistcoats embroidered at the back; bright crimson sashes; + white knickerbockers, with black velveteen overalls, looking as if + 'pointed' before and behind; brown hose or long leather gaiters ornamented + with colours, and untanned shoes. Despite the heat many wore the Guanche + cloak, a blanket (English) with a running string round the neck. The women + covered their graceful heads with a half-square of white stuff, and + deformed the coiffure by a hideous black billycock, an unpleasant memory + of Wales. Some hundreds of men, women, and children were working on the + road, and we were surprised by the beauty of the race, its classical + outlines, oval contours, straight profiles, magnificent hair, and + blue-grey eyes with black lashes. This is not the result of Guanche blood, + as a town on the south-western part of the island presently showed me. + Also an orderly of Guanche breed from the parts about Arico, who had + served for years at the palace, was pointed out as a type. He stood six + feet four, with proportional breadth; his face was somewhat + lozenge-shaped, his hair straight, black like a Hindu's, and his tawny + skin looked only a little darker than that of Portuguese Algarves. The + beauty of the islanders results from a mixture of Irish blood. During the + Catholic persecution before 1823 many fled the Emerald Isle to Tenerife, + and especially to Orotava. The women's figures in youth are charming, + tall, straight, and pliant as their own pine-trees. All remark their + graceful gait. + </p> + <p> + We passed through places famed in the days of the conquest—La + Matanza, the native Orantapata, where De Lugo's force was nearly + annihilated. Now it is the half-way station to Orotava; and here the <i>coche</i> + stops for dinner, prices being regulated by Government. The single inn + shows the Pike, but not the subjacent valley. Then to Acentejo, the local + Roncesvalles, where the invaders were saved only by St. Michael; and next + to La Vitoria, where they avenged themselves. At Santa Ursula we first saw + the slopes of Orotava, the Guanche Tavro or Atanpalata; and on the Cuesta + de la Villa we were shown near its mark, a date-palm, the cave that + sheltered the patriot chief, unfortunate Bencomo. As the fashionables came + forth to walk and drive we passed the <i>calvario</i> and the <i>place</i> + leading to the Villa Orotava, and found quarters in the <i>fonda</i> of D. + José Gobea. The <i>sala</i>, or chief room, some 30 feet long, wanted only + an Eastern divan round the walls; it was easily converted into a tolerable + place of bivouac, and here we resolved to try country life for a while. + </p> + <p> + The first aspect of the Orotava Tempe was disappointing after Humboldt's + dictum, 'Voici ce qu'il y a de plus délicieux au monde.' But our + disappointment was the natural reaction of judgment from fancy to reality, + which often leads to a higher appreciation. At last we learned why the + Elysian [Footnote: In Arabic El-Lizzat, the Delight, or from the old + Egyptian <i>Aahlu</i>,] Fields, the Fortunate Islands, the Garden of the + Hesperides—where the sea is no longer navigable, and where Atlas + supports the firmament on a mountain conical as a cylinder; the land of + evening, of sunset, where Helios sinks into the sea, and where Night bore + the guardians of the golden apples—were such favourites with the + poets. And we came to love every feature of the place, from the snowy Pike + of Teyde flushing pink in the morning sun behind his lofty rampart, to the + Puerto, or lower town, whose three several reef-gates are outlaid by + creamy surf, and whose every shift of form and hue stands distinct in the + transparent and perfumed air. The intermediate slopes are clothed with a + vegetation partly African, partly European; and here Humboldt, at the end + of the last century, proposed to naturalise the chinchona. + </p> + <p> + La Villa lies some two miles and a half from and about 1,140 feet above + the Puerto; and the streets are paved and precipitous as any part of + Funchal. The population varied from 7,000 to 8,000 souls, whereas the + lower town had only 3,500. It contains a few fine houses with huge hanging + balconies and interior <i>patios</i> (courts) which would accommodate a + regiment. They date from the 'gente muy caballerosa' (knightly folk) of + three centuries ago. The feminine population appeared excessive, the + reason being that some five per cent. of the youths go to Havannah and + after a few years return 'Indianos,' or 'Indios,' our old 'nabobs.' + </p> + <p> + At the Puerto we were most kindly received by the late British + Vice-Consul, Mr. Goodall, who died about the normal age, seventy-seven: if + this be safely passed man in Tenerife becomes a macrobian. All was done + for our comfort by the late Mr. Carpenter, who figures in the + 'Astronomer's Experiment' as 'the interpreter.' Amongst the scanty public + diversions was the Opera. The Villa theatre occupied an ancient church: + the length of the building formed pit, boxes, and gallery; and 'La + Sonnambula' descended exactly where the high altar had been. At the Puerto + an old monastery was chosen for 'La Traviata:' the latter was realistic as + Crabbe's poetry; even in bed the unfortunate 'Misled' one could not do + without a certain truncated cylinder of acajou. I sighed for the Iberian + 'Zarzuela,' that most charming <i>opera buffa</i> which takes its name + from a 'pleasaunce' in the Pardo Palace near Madrid. + </p> + <p> + The hotel diet was peculiarly Spanish; already the stews and 'pilaffs' (<i>puláos</i>) + of the East begin in embryo. The staple dish was the <i>puchero</i>, or <i>cocido</i>, + which antiquated travellers still call 'olla podrida' (pot-pourri). This + <i>lesso</i> or <i>bouilli</i> consists of soup, beef, bacon, and <i>garbanzos</i> + (chick-peas, or <i>Cicer arietinium</i>) in one plate, and boiled potatoes + and small gourds (<i>bubangos</i>) in another. The condiments are mostly + garlic and saffron, preferred to mustard and chillies. The pastry, they + tell me, is excellent. + </p> + <p> + In those days the Great Dragon Tree had not yet lost its upper cone by the + dreadful storm of January 3, 1868; thus it had survived by two centuries + and a half the Garoe Laurel, or Arbol Santo, the miraculous tree of Hierro + (Ferro). It stood in the garden of the Marquez de Sauzal, who would + willingly have preserved it. But every traveller had his own infallible + recipe, and the proprietor contented himself with propping up the lower + limbs by poles. It stood upon a raised bank of masonry-work, and the + north-east side showed a huge cavity which had been stopped with stone and + lime. About half a century ago one-third came down, and in 1819 an arm was + torn off and sent, I believe, to Kew. When we saw the fragment it looked + mostly like tinder, or touchwood, 'eld-gamall,' stone-old, as the + Icelanders say. Near it stood a pair of tall cypresses, and at some + distance a venerable palm-tree, which 'relates to it,' according to Count + Gabriel de Belcastel, + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: I quote from the Spanish translation, <i>Las Islas Canarias y + el Valle Orotava,</i> a highly popular work contrasting wonderfully with + some of ours. The courteous Frenchman even promised that Morocco would be + the Algeria of the Canaries. His observations for temperature, pressure, + variation, hygrometry, and psychrometry of the Orotavan climate, which he + chose for health, are valuable. He starts with a theory of the three + conditions of salubrity—heat-and-cold, humidity, and atmospheric + change. The average annual mean of Orotava is 66.34 degrees (F.), that of + Southern France in September; it never falls below 54.5 degrees nor rises + above 73.88 degrees, nor exceeds 13.88 degrees in variation.] + </p> + <p> + 'in the murmurs of the breeze the legends of races long disappeared.' + </p> + <p> + Naturalists modestly assigned to the old Dragon 5,000 to 10,000 years, + thus giving birth to fine reflections about its witnessing revolutions + which our planet underwent prior to the advent of man. So Adamson made his + calabash a contemporary of the Noachian Deluge, if that partial cataclysm + [Footnote: The ancient Egyptians, who ignored the Babylonian Deluge, well + knew that all cataclysms are local, not general, catastrophes.] ever + reached Africa. The Orotava relic certainly was an old tree, prophetic + withal, [Footnote: It was supposed infallibly to predict weather and to + regulate sowing-time. Thus if the southern side flowered first drought was + to be expected, and vice versa. Now the peasant refers to San Isidro, + patron of Orotava: he has only changed the form of his superstition.] when + De Lugo and the <i>conquistadores</i> entered the valley in 1493 and said + mass in its hollow. But that event was only four centuries ago, and dates + are ticklish things when derived from the rings and wrinkles of + little-studied vegetation. Already Mr. Diston, in a letter to Professor + Piazzi Smyth, [Footnote: 'Astronomical Experiment on the Peak of + Tenerife,' <i>Philosoph. Trans.</i>, part ii. for 1858.] declared that a + young 'dragon,' which he had planted in 1818, became in 38 years so tall + that a ladder was required to reach the head. And let us observe that + Nature, though forbidden such style of progression by her <i>savans</i>, + sometimes does make a local <i>saltus</i>, especially in the change of + climates. Centuries ago, when the fires about Teyde were still alight, and + the lava-fields about Orotava were still burning, the rate of draconian + increase, under the influence of heat and moisture, might have been treble + or quadruple what it would now be. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: The patriarch was no 'giant of the forest.' Its stature did not + exceed 60 feet. Humboldt made it only 45 French feet(= 47 ft. ll ins. + English) round the base. Dr. Wilde (<i>Narrative</i>, p. 40) blames the + measurer and gives about the same measurement, Professor Piazzi Smyth, who + in 1856 reproduced it in an abominable photo-stenograph, reckons 48.5 feet + at the level of the southern foot, 35.6 feet at 6 feet above the ground, + and 28.8 feet at 14.5 feet, where branches spring from the rapidly + narrowing conical trunk. The same are said to have been its proportions in + the days of the conquest. In 1866 Mr. Addison made it 60 feet tall, 35.5 + feet at 6 feet from the ground, and 49.5 in circumference at the base + which he cleared. Mr. Barker Webb's sketch in 1830 was the best; but the + tree afterwards greatly changed. Mr. J. J. Williams made a neat drawing in + boarding-school style, with a background apparently borrowed from Richmond + Hill.] + </p> + <p> + The Jardin de Aclimatacion, or Botanical Garden, mentioned by Humboldt + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: Page 59. It is regretable that his forecasts have failed. + Neither of the ohinohonas (<i>C. tanoifolia</i> and <i>C. oblongifolia</i>) + has been naturalised in Southern Europe. Nor has the Hill of Duragno yet + sent us the 'protea, the psidium, the jambos, the chirimoya of Peru, the + sensitive plant, the heliconia, and several beautiful species of glyoine + from New Holland.'] + </p> + <p> + as far back as 1799, still flourishes. It was founded in 1788-95 by an + able <i>savan</i>, the Marquis de Villanueva del Pardo (D. Alonso de Nava + y Grimon), who to a Government grant of 1,000<i>l</i>. added 4,000<i>l</i>. + of his own, besides 400<i>l</i>. a year for an average generation. The + place is well chosen, for the Happy Valley combines the flora of the north + and the south, with a Nivaria of snow-land above it and a semi-tropical + temperature on the shores of the 'Chronian Sea.' + </p> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> </a> + CHAPTER VI. — THE ROUTINE ASCENT OF MOUNT ATLAS, THE 'PIKE' OF + TENERIFE. + </h2> + <p> + The trip was so far routine that we followed in the steps of all previous + travellers, and so far not routine that we made it in March, when, + according to all, the Mal Pais is impassable, and when furious winds + threaten to sweep away intruders like dry leaves. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: The usual months are July and August. Captain Baudin, not + favourably mentioned by Humboldt, ascended in December 1797 with M. Le + Gros and the naturalists Advenier, Mauger, and Riedlé. He rolled down from + half-way on the cone to the bottom of La Rambleta, and was stopped only by + a snow-covered lava-heap. Mr. Addison chose February, when he 'suffered + more from enormous radiation than from cold.' He justifies his choice (p. + 22) by observing that 'the seasons above are much earlier than they are + below, consequently the latter part of the spring is the best season to + visit the Peak.' In October, at an elevation of 10,700 feet, he found the + cold greater than it was in February. In July 1863 I rode round the + island, to the Cumbre pumice-plains, and by no means enjoyed the southern + ride. A place near Guimar showed me thirty-six <i>barrancos</i> (deep + ravines) to be crossed within three leagues.] + </p> + <p> + The good folk of the Villa, indeed, declared that the Ingleza could never + reach even the Estancia de los Inglezes. + </p> + <p> + Our train was modest—a pair of nags with their attendants, and two + excellent sumpter-mules carrying provisions and blankets. The guide was + Manoel Reyes, who has already appeared in the 'Specialities of a Residence + Above the Clouds.' He is a small, wizen-faced man, quiet, self-contained, + and fond—exceedingly fond—of having his own way. By dint of + hard work we left the Fonda Gobea at 9 A.M. on March 23, with loud cries + of 'Mulo!' and 'Anda, caballo!' and 'So-o-o!' when the bât-beasts indulged + in a free fight. + </p> + <p> + Morning smiled upon our incept. Nothing could be lovelier than the weather + as we crossed the deluging Martinianez Fiumara; struck the coast-road + westward, and then, bending to the south-west, made for the 'Gate of + Taoro,' a gap in the Cañáda-wall. From the higher level truly charming was + the aspect of Orotava: it was Funchal many times improved. Beyond the + terraced foreground of rich deep yellow clay, growing potatoes, wheat, and + the favourite <i>chochos</i> (lupines), with apple and chestnut trees, the + latter of two kinds, and the lower fields marked out by huge agaves, lay + the Happy Valley. Its contrast of vivid greens, of white <i>quintas</i>, + of the two extinct volcanos overlooking Orotava, and of the picturesque + townlets facing the misty blue sea, fringed with a ceaseless silvery surf + by the <i>brisa</i>, or north-east trade, the lord of these latitudes, had + not a symptom of the Madeiran monotony of verdure. Behind us towered high + the snowy Pilon (Sugar-loaf), whose every wave and fold were picked out by + golden sunlight, azure half-light, and purple shade. + </p> + <p> + As we advanced up the Camiño de Chasna, a road only by name, the <i>quintas</i> + were succeeded by brown-thatched huts, single or in clumps. On the left, + 3,400 feet above sea-level, stood the Pino del Dornajito ('of the Little + Trough'), one of the few survivors in this once wealthy pine-ground. The + magnificent old tree, which was full grown in the days of the conquest, + and which in the seventeenth century was a favourite halting-point, + suffered severely from the waterspout of November 7, 1826; but still + measured 130 feet long by 29 in girth. The vegetation now changed. We + began brushing through the arbutus (<i>callicarpa</i>), the wild olive (<i>Olea + excelsa</i>), the Canarian oak, the daphne, the myrtle entwined with + indigenous ivy (<i>Hedera canariensis</i>); the cytisus, the bright green + hypericum of three species, thyme, gallworts, and arborescent and other + ferns in numbers, especially the hare's-foot and the peculiar <i>Asplenium + canariense</i>, the <i>Trichomanes canariensis</i>, and the <i>Davallia + canariensis</i>; the <i>brezo</i> (<i>Erica aborea</i> and <i>E. scoparia</i>), + a heath whose small white bells scented the air; and the luxuriant + blackberry, used to fortify the drystone walls. The dew-cloud now began to + float upwards from the sea in scarf-shape, only a few hundred feet thick; + it had hangings and fringes where it was caught by the rugged hill-flanks; + and above us globular masses, white as cotton bales, rolled over one + another. As in the drier regions of Africa the hardly risen sun made + itself felt. + </p> + <p> + At 10.20 A.M. we had passed out of the cultivated region to the Montijo, + or Monte Verde, the laurel-region. The 'wood' is the remains of a fine + forest accidentally fired by charcoal-burners; it is now a copse of + arborescent heath-worts, ilex (<i>I. Perado</i>), and <i>Faya</i> (<i>Myrica + Faya</i>), called the 'Portugal laurel,' some growing ten feet high. We + then entered upon rough ground, El Juradillo ('the Hollow'); this small + edition of the Mal Pais, leading to the Canadas, is a mass of lava-beds + and dry <i>barrancos</i> (ravines) grooved and sheeted by rushing + torrents. The latter show the anatomy of the land—tufas, lavas, + conglomerates, trachytes, trachydolerites, and basalts of various kinds. + Most of the rocks are highly magnetic, and are separated by thin layers of + humus with carbonised plant-roots. Around El Juradillo rises a scatter of + <i>montanetas</i>, shaped like half-buried eggs: originally parasitic + cones, they evidently connect with the main vent. About 1 P.M., after four + hours' ride, we dismounted at the Estancia de la Sierra (6,500 feet); it + is a pumice-floor a few feet broad, dotted with bush and almost surrounded + by rocks that keep off a wind now blowing cold and keen. Consequently, as + broken pots and bottles show, it is a favourite resting-place. + </p> + <p> + After halting an hour we rode up a slope whose obtuser talus showed that + we were reaching the far-famed platform, called Las Cañádas del Pico. The + word, here meaning level ground, not, as usual, a canefield, applies + especially to the narrow outer rim of the hollow plain; a bristling + fortification of bluffs, pointing inwards, and often tilted to quoins 300 + feet high, with an extreme of 1,000. Trachyte and basalt, with dykes like + Cyclopean walls, are cut to jagged needles by the furious north-easter. + Around the foot, where it is not encumbered with <i>débris</i> like the + base of an iceberg, a broad line of comminuted pumice produces vegetation + like a wady-growth in Somali Land. The central bed allows no short cut + across: it is a series of rubbish-heaps, parasitic cones, walls, and lumps + of red-black lavas, trachytes, and phonolites reposing upon a deluge of + frozen volcanic froth ejected by early eruptions. The aspect was rejoicing + as the Arabian desert: I would willingly have spent six months in the + purest of pure air. + </p> + <p> + These flats of pumice, 'stones of emptiness,' loose incoherent matter, are + the site of the first great crater. Tenerife is the type of a + three-storied volcano, as Stromboli is of one and Vesuvius of two stages. + The enormous diameter of this ancient feature is eight by seven miles, + with a circumference of twenty-three—greater even than Hawaii—and + here one feels that our earth was once a far sublimer scene. Such forms + belong to the earlier volcanic world, and astronomers still suspect them + in the moon. [Footnote: Las Cañádas was shown to be a volcanic crater in + 1803 by Professor Cordier, the first scientific visitor in modern days (<i>Lettre + à Devilliers fils</i>), and in 1810 by D. Francisco Escobar (<i>Estadistica</i>). + They make the old vent ten leagues round.] The altitude is 6,900 feet, + nearly double the height of Vesuvius (3,890 feet); and the lines sweep + upwards towards the Pilon, where they reach 8,950 feet. + </p> + <p> + The tints of Las Cañádas, seen from above, are the tenderest yellow and a + brownish red, like the lightest coat of vegetation turning ruddy in the + sun. Where level, Las Cañádas is a floor of rapilli and pumice-fragments, + none larger than a walnut, but growing bigger as they approach the Pike. + The colours are dun (<i>barriga de monja</i>), golden-yellow, and brown + burnt red like autumnal leaves. There is marvellous colouring upon the + bluffs and ridges of the rim—lamp-black and brown-black, purple + (light and dark), vermilion-red, and sombre hues superficially stained + ruddy by air-oxygen. The picture is made brighter by the leek-green + vegetation and by the overarching vault of glaring blue. Nor are the forms + less note-worthy. Long centuries of weathering have worked the material + into strange shapes—here a ruined wall, there an old man with a + Jesuit's cap; now a bear, then a giant python. It is the oldest lava we + have yet seen, except the bed of the Orotava valley. The submarine origin + is denoted by fossils found in the flank; they are of Miocene age, like + those common in Madeira, and they were known as early as the days of + Clavijo (1772). + </p> + <p> + Las Canadas is not wholly a 'dead creation;' the birds were more numerous + than on the plains. A powerful raptor, apparently an eagle with + black-barred wings, hung high in air amongst the swallows winging their + way northwards, and the Madeiran sparrow-hawk was never out of sight; + ravens, unscared by stone-throwing boys, flew over us unconcernedly, while + the bushes sheltered many blackbirds, the Canary-bird (<i>Fringilla + canaria</i>) showed its green belly and grey back and wings, singing a + note unknown to us; and an indigenous linnet (<i>F. teydensis</i>), small + and green-robed, hopped over the ground tame as a wren. We saw nothing of + the red-legged partridge or the Tetraonidae, reported to be common. + </p> + <p> + The scattered growths were composed of the broomy <i>Codeso</i> and <i>Retama</i>. + The former (<i>Adenocarpus frankenoides</i>), a leguminous plant, showed + only dense light-green leaves without flower, and consequently without + their heavy, cloying perfume. The woody stem acts in these regions as the + <i>doornboom</i> of South Africa, the wild sage of the western prairies, + and the <i>shih</i> (<i>absinthium</i>) of the Arabian desert. The Arabic + <i>Retama</i>, or Alpine broom (<i>Cytisus fragrans</i>, Lam.; <i>Cyt. + nubigenus</i>, Decan.; <i>Spartium nubigenum</i>, Alton and Von Buch), is + said to be peculiar to Tenerife, where it is not found under one vertical + mile of height. Some travellers divide it into two species, <i>Spartium + monospermum</i> and <i>S. nubigenum</i>. The bush, 9 to 10 feet tall by 7 + to 15 inches diameter, is easily distinguished from the <i>Codeso</i> by + its denser and deeper green. This pretty rounded growth, with its short + brown stem throwing out lateral branches which trail on the ground, + flavours meat, and might be naturalised in Europe. From June till August + it is covered with a profusion of white blossoms, making Las Canadas a + Hymettus, an apiarian heaven. It extends as far as the second cone, but + there it shrinks to a foot in height. We did not see the tree growing, but + we met a party of Chasna men, [Footnote: A romantic tale is told of the + origin of Chasna. In 1496, before the wars ended, one Pedro de Bracamonte, + a captain under De Lugo, captured a 'belle sauvage,' who made her escape + after a few days. He went about continually repeating, 'Vi la flor del + valle' (I saw the valley flower), and died after three months. His + soldiers buried him and priests said masses for the soul of this 'hot + amorist.'] driving asses like onagers, laden with the gummy wood of the <i>Tea</i> + or <i>Tiya</i> pine (<i>P. canariensis</i>). The valuable material, which + resists damp and decay for centuries, and which Decandolle declares would + grow in Scotland, is rapidly disappearing from the Pinals. The travellers + carried cochineal-seed, for which their village is famous, and a hive + which might have been Abyssinian. It was a hollow cylinder of palm-bole, + closed with board at either end; in July and August it is carried up the + mountain, where the bees cannot destroy the grapes. We searched in vain + for M. Broussonet's white violet (<i>V. teydensis</i>), [Footnote: + Humboldt's five zones of vegetation on the Pike are vines, laurels, pines, + broom, and grasses (p. 116). Mr. Addison modifies this scale to vines, + laurels, pines and junipers, mountain-brooms and pumice-plains, I should + distribute the heights as growing cochineal, potatoes, and cereals, + chestnuts, pines, heaths, grasses, and bare rock.] and for the + lilac-coloured <i>Viola cheiranthifolia</i>, akin to <i>V. decumbens</i>. + </p> + <p> + The average annual temperature of Las Canadas is that of N. latitude 53 + degrees, Holland and Hanover; in fact, here it is the Pyrenees, and below + it Africa. The sun blazed from a desert of blue, and the waving heat-reek + rose trembling and quivering from the tawny sides of the foregrounds. The + clouds, whose volumes were disposed like the leaves of a camellia, lay far + down to the north-east, as if unable to face the fires of day. And now the + great trachytic dome, towering in the translucent air, was the marking + feature. Its angle, 35 to 42 degrees, or double that of the lower levels, + suggests distant doubts as to its practicability, nor could we believe + that it rises 3,243 feet above its western base, Las Cañádas. The summit, + not including the terminal Pilon—a comparatively dwarf cone + [Footnote: There is a very bad sketch of the Pike in Mr. Scrope's popular + work on <i>Volcanoes</i> (p. 5); the eruptive chimney is far too regularly + conical.]—is ribboned with clinker, and streaked at this season with + snow-lines radiating, like wheel-spokes from a common centre. Here and + there hang, at an impossible angle, black lava-streams which were + powerless to reach the plain: they resembled nothing so much as the + gutterings of a candle hardening on the outside of its upright shaft. + Evidently they had flowed down the slope in a half fluid state, and had + been broken by contraction when cooling. In places, too, the surface was + streaked with light yellow patches, probably of sun-gilt <i>tosa</i> or + pumice. + </p> + <p> + On our right, or to the north-north-east of the Pike, rose La Fortaleza, + <i>alias</i> the Golliada del Cedro. The abrupt wall had salient and + re-entering angles, not unlike the Palisades of the Hudson River, with + intercalated strata and a smooth glacis at the base, except between the + east and north-west, where the periphery has been destroyed. It is + apparently basalt, as we may expect in the lower levels before reaching + the trachytic region. The other notable features were Monte Tigayga, with + its vertical cliff, trending northwards to the sea; the gap through which + the Orotava lava-bed burst the crater-margin; the Llano de Maja ('Manja' + in Berthelot), a strip of Las Canadas, and the horizontally striated Peak + of Guajara (8,903 feet). + </p> + <p> + Riding over the 'pumice-beach of a once fiery sea,' whose glare and other + accidents suggested the desert between Cairo and Suez, we made our way + towards the Rastrojito. This 'Little Stubble' is a rounded heap of pumice, + a southern offset of the main mountain. On the left rose the Montana Negra + (Black Mountain) and the Lomo de la Nieve ('Snow Ridge),' a dark mass of + ribbed and broken lavas (8,970 feet), in which summer-snow is stored. A + little black kid, half wild, was skipping over the rocks. Our men pursued + it with the <i>garrotes</i> (alpenstocks), loudly shouting,' Tio Jose!': + 'Uncle Joseph,' however, escaped, running like a Guanche. Here it is + allowed to shoot the animals on condition of leaving a shilling with the + skin. The latter is used in preparing the national <i>gofio,</i> the + Guanche <i>ahoren,</i> the <i>kuskusu</i> of north-western Africa, the <i>polenta,</i> + or daily bread, of the Neo-Latins. + </p> + <p> + Climbing the Rastrojito slopes, we sighted the Pedras Negras: these are + huge travelled rocks of basalt, jet-black, breaking with a conchoidal + fracture, and showing debris like onion-coats about their base. The aspect + was fantastic, resembling nothing so much as skulls 10 to 15 feet high. + They are doubtless the produce of the upper slopes, which by slow degrees + gravitated to the present pumice-beds. + </p> + <p> + The first step of the Pike is Las Canadas, whose glacis forms the <i>Cumbre</i>, + or pumice-plains (6,500 feet), the long dorsum, which shows far out at + sea. Bending abruptly to the east, we began to breast the red pumice-bed + leading to the Estancia de Abajo or de los Inglezes. 'El es Inglez porque + subio al Pico' ('he is English, because he climbed the Pike'), say the + people. This ramp, whose extreme angle is 26 degrees, bordered by thick + bands of detached lava-rocks, is doubtless the foundation-matter of the + Pike. Hence the latter is picturesquely termed 'Hijo de las Canadas.' + [Footnote: Especially by D. Benigno Carballo Wanguement in his work, <i>Las + Afortunadas</i> (Madrid, 1862), a happy title borrowed from D. Francisco + Escobar. Heyley (<i>Cosmography</i>), quoted by Glas and Mrs. Murray, + tells us of an English ambassador who, deeming his own land the 'Fortunate + Islands,' protested against Pope Clement VI. so entitling the Canaries in + a deed of gift to D. Luis de la Cerda, the 'Disinherited' Conde de + Claramonte. The latter was deprived of the Crown of Castile by his uncle, + Sancho IV., and became the founder of the Medina Celi house.] + </p> + <p> + After a total climb and ride of six hours, we reached the 'English + station.' M. Eden (Aug. 13, 1715) [Footnote: Trans. Royal Soc. of London, + 1714-16.] calls it simply Stancha, and M. Borda 'Station des Rochers.' + Pere Feutree, a Frenchman who ascended in 1524, and wrote the earliest + scientific account, had baptised it Station de St. Francois de Paul, and + set up a cross. It is a shelf in the pumice-slope, 9,930 feet high, and + protected against the cold night-winds of the north-north-east, the lower + or polar current, by huge boulders of obsidian, like gigantic + sodawater-bottles. The routine traveller sleeps upon this level a few + hundred yards square, because the guides store their fuel in an adjacent + bed of black rocks. Humboldt miscalls the station 'a kind of cavern;' and + a little above it he nearly fell on the slippery surface of the 'compact + short-swarded turf' which he had left 4,000 feet below him. + </p> + <p> + The bât-mules were unpacked and fed; and a rough bed was made up under the + lea of the tallest rock, where a small <i>curral</i> of dry stone kept off + the snow. This, as we noticed in Madeira, is not in flakes, nor in + hail-like globes: it consists of angular frozen lumps, and the selvage + becomes the hardest ice. Some have compared it with the Swiss 'firn,' snow + stripped of fine crystals and granulated by time and exposure. In March + the greatest depth we saw in the gullies radiating from the mountain-top + was about three feet. But in the cold season all must be white as a + bride-cake; and fatal accidents occur in the Canada drifts. Professor + Piazzi Smyth characterises the elevated region as cold enough at night, + and stormy beyond measure in winter, when the south-wester, or equatorial + upper current, produces a fearful climate. Yet the Pike summit lies some + 300 feet below the snow-line (12,500 feet). + </p> + <p> + The view was remarkable: we were in sight of eighty craters. At sunset the + haze cleared away from the horizon, which showed a straight grey-blue line + against a blushing sky of orange, carmine, pale pink, and tender lilac, + passing through faint green into the deep dark blue of the zenith. In this + <i>cumbre</i>, or upper region, the stars did not surprise us by their + brightness. At 6 P.M. the thermometer showed 32 degrees F.; the air was + delightfully still and pure, [Footnote: We had no opportunity of noticing + what Mr. Addison remarks, the air becoming sonorous and the sound of the + sea changing from grave to acute after sunset and during the night. He + attributes this increased intensity to additional moisture and an + equability of temperature in the atmospheric strata. Perhaps the silence + of night may tend to exaggerate the impression.] and Death mummifies, but + does not decay. + </p> + <p> + A bright fire secured us against the piercing dry night-cold; and the <i>arrieros</i> + began to sing like <i>capirotes</i> [Footnote: The <i>Capirote</i> or <i>Tinto + Negro</i>, a grey bird with black head (<i>Sylvia atricapilla</i>), is + also found in Madeira, and much resembles the Eastern bulbul or Persian + nightingale. It must be caged when young, otherwise it refuses to sing, + and fed upon potatos and bread with milk, not grain. An enthusiast, + following Humboldt (p. 87), describes the 'joyous and melodious notes' of + the bird as 'the purest incense that can ascend to heaven.'] (bulbuls), + sundry <i>seguidillas</i>, and <i>El Tajaraste</i>. The music may be heard + everywhere between Morocco and Sind. It starts with the highest possible + falsetto and gradually falls like a wail, all in the minor <i>clef</i>. + </p> + <p> + We rose next morning with nipped feet and hands, which a cup of hot + coffee, 'with,' speedily corrected, and were <i>en route</i> at 4.30 A.M. + Formerly animals were left at the lower <i>estancia</i>; now they are + readily taken on to Alta Vista. My wife rode a sure-footed black nag, I a + mule which was perfect whilst the foot-long lever acting curb lay loose on + its neck. Returning, we were amazed at the places they had passed during + the moonless night. + </p> + <p> + Our path skirted the Estancia de los Alemanos, about 300 yards higher than + the English, and zig-zagged sharply up the pumice-slope. The talus now + narrowed; the side-walls of dark trachytic blocks pinching it in. At this + grisly hour they showed the quaintest figures—towers and pinnacles, + needles and tree-trunks, veiled nuns and monstrous beasts. Amongst them + were huge bombs of obsidian, and masses with translucent, vitreous edges + that cut like glass. Most of them contained crystals of felspar and + pyroxene. + </p> + <p> + After half an hour we reached the dwarf platform of Alta Vista, 700 feet + above the Estancia and 10,730, in round numbers, above sea-level. The + little shelf, measuring about 100 to 300 yards, at the head of the fork + where the north-eastern and the south-western lava-streams part, is + divided by a medial ledge. Here we saw the parent rock of the pumice + fragments, an outcrop of yellowish brown stone, like fractured and + hardened clay. The four-footed animals were sent back: one rides up but + not down such places. + </p> + <p> + Passing in the lower section the shell of a house where the Astronomer's + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: The author came out in 1856 to make experiments in astronomical + observations. Scientific men have usually a contempt for language: we find + the same in <i>Our Inheritanse</i>, &c. (Dalby & Co., London, + 1877), where the poor modern hierogrammats are not highly appreciated. But + it is a serious blemish to find 'Montana Blanco,' 'Malpays,' 'Chahzorra' + (for Chajorra), and 'Tiro del Guanches.' The author also is wholly in + error about Guanche mummification. He derides (p. 329) the shivering and + shaking of his Canarian guide under a cloudy sky of 40°F., when the sailor + enjoyed it in their 'glorious strength of Saxon (?) constitution.' But + when the latter were oppressed and discouraged by dry heat and vivid + radiation, Manoel was active as a chamois. Why should enduring cold and + not heat be held as a test of manliness?] + </p> + <p> + experiment had been tried, Guide Manoel pointed out the place where stood + the <i>tormentos</i>, as he called the instruments. Thence we toiled afoot + up the Mal Pais. This 'bad country' is contradictorily described by + travellers. Glas (A.D. 1761) makes it a sheet of rock cracked cross-wise + into cubes. Humboldt (1799) says, 'The lava, broken into sharp pieces, + leaves hollows in which we risked falling up to our waists.' Von Buch + (1815) mentions 'the sharp edges of glassy obsidian, as dangerous as the + blades of knives.' Wilde (1857) tamely paints the scene as a 'magnified + rough-cast.' Prof. Piazzi Smyth is, as usual, exact, but he suggests more + difficulty than the traveller finds. I saw nothing beyond a succession of + ridge-backs and shrinkage-crevasses, disposed upon an acute angle. These + ragged, angular, and mostly cuboidal blocks, resembling the ice-pack of + St. Lawrence River, have apparently been borne down by subsequent + lava-currents, which, however, lacked impetus to reach the lower levels of + Las Cañádas. + </p> + <p> + Springing from boulder to boulder, an exhilarating exercise for a time, + over a 'surface of horrible roughness,' as Prof. Dana says of Hawaii, we + halted to examine the Cueva de Hielo, whose cross has long succumbed to + the wintry winds. The 'ice-house' in a region of fire occupies a little + platform like the ruined base of a Pompey's Pillar. This is the table upon + which the <i>neveros</i> pack their stores of snow. The cave, a mere hole + in the trachytic lava, opens to the east with an entrance some four feet + wide. The general appearance was that of a large bubble in a baked loaf. + Inside we saw a low ceiling spiky with stalactites, possibly icicles, and + a coating of greenish ice upon the floor. A gutter leads from the mouth, + showing signs of water-wear, and the blocks of trachyte are so loaded with + glossy white felspar that I attempted to dust them before sitting down. + </p> + <p> + Local tradition connects this ice-cave with the famous burial-cavern near + Ycod, on the northern coast; this would give a tunnel 8 miles long and + 11,040 feet high. Many declare that the meltings ebb and flow with the + sea-tide, and others recount that lead and lines of many fathoms failed to + touch bottom. We are told about the normal dog which fell in and found its + way to the shore through the cave of Ycod de los Vinos. In the latter a M. + Auber spent four hours without making much way; in parts he came upon + scatters of Guanche bones. Mr. Robert Edwards, of Santa Cruz, recounted + another native tradition—that before the eruption of A.D. 1705 there + was a run of water but no cave. Mr. Addison was let down into it, and + found three branches or lanes, the longest measuring 60-70 feet. What the + <i>neveros</i> call <i>el hombre de nieve</i> (the snow-man) proved to be + a honeycombed mass of lava revetted with ice-drippings. He judged the cave + to be a crater of emission; and did not see the smoke or steam issuing + from it as reported by the ice-collectors. + </p> + <p> + Professor P. Smyth goes, I think, a little too far in making this + contemptible feature compose such a quarrel as that between the English + eruptionist and the Continental upheavalist. Deciding a disputed point, + that elevation is a force and a method in nature, he explains the cave by + the explosion of gases, which blew off the surface of the dome, 'when the + heavy sections of the lava-roof, unsupported from below, fell downward + again, wedging into and against each other, so as nearly to reform their + previous figure.' But the unshattered state of the stones and the rounded + surfaces of the sides show no sign of explosion. The upper <i>Piton</i> is + unfitted for retaining water, which must percolate through its cinders, + pumices, and loose matter into many a reservoir formed by blowing-holes. + Snow must also be drifted in and retain, the cold. Moisture would be kept + in the cavern by the low conducting power of its walls; so Lyell found, on + Etna, a bed of solid ice under a lava-current. Possibly also this cave has + a frozen substratum, like many of the ice-pools in North America. + </p> + <p> + We then toiled up to another little <i>estancia</i>, a sheltered, + rock-girt hollow. The floor of snow, or rather frozen rain, was sprinkled + with red dust, and fronts the wind, with sharp icy points rising at an + angle of 45°. Here, despite the penetrating cold, we gravely seated + ourselves to enjoy at ease the hardly won pleasures of the sunrise. The + pallid white gleam of dawn had grown redder, brighter and richer. An + orange flush, the first breaking of the beams faintly reflected from + above, made the sky, before a deep and velvety black-blue, look like a + gilt canopy based upon a rim of azure mist. The brilliancy waxed golden + and more golden still; the blending of the colours became indescribably + beautiful; and, lastly, the sun's upper limb rose in brightest saffron + above the dimmed and spurious horizon of north-east cloud. The panorama + below us emerged dimly and darkly from a torrent of haze, whose waving + convex lines, moving with a majestic calm, wore the aspect of a deluge + whelming the visible world. Martin the Great might have borrowed an idea + from this waste of waters, as it seemed to be, heaving and breaking, + surging and sweeping over the highest mountain-tops. We saw nothing of the + immense triangular gnomon projected by the Pilon as far as Gomera Island, + [Footnote: At sunset of July 10, 1863, I could trace it extending to Grand + Canary, darkening the southern half and leaving the northern in bright + sunshine: the right limb was better defined than the left.] and gradually + contracting as the lamp of day rises. Item, we saw nothing of the + archipelago like a map in relief; the latter, however, is rarely visible + in its entirety. Disappointment! + </p> + <p> + During the descent we had a fair prospect of the Canarian Triquetra. + Somewhat like Madeira, it has a longitudinal spine of mountains, + generically called Las Cañádas; but, whilst the volcanic ridge of the Isle + of Wood runs in a latitudinal line, the Junonian Cordillera has a whorl, + the ancient as well as the modern seat of eruption. Around the island + appeared to be a rim, as if the sea-horizon formed a raised saucer—a + common optical delusion at these altitudes. + </p> + <p> + As we advanced the Mal Pais became more broken: the 'bad step' was ugly + climbing, and we often envied our men, who wore heelless shoes of soft + untanned leather with soles almost as broad as they were long. The + roughness of the trachytic blocks, however, rendered a slip impossible. At + 6.45 we reached the second floor of this three-storied volcano, here + 11,721 feet high. The guides call it the <i>Pico del Pilon</i>, because it + is the ancient Peak-Crater, and strangers the Rambleta (not Rembleta) + Volcano, which strewed Las Cañádas with fiery pumice, and which shot up + the terminal head 'conical as a cylinder.' It has now become an irregular + and slightly convex plain a mile in diameter, whose centre is the terminal + chimney. Its main peculiarity is in the fumaroles, or escapes of steam, + and <i>mofetti</i>, mephitic emanations of limpid water and + sulphur-vapour. Of these we counted five narices within as many hundred + yards. Their temperature greatly varies, 109° and 158° Fahr. being, + perhaps, the extremes; my thermometer showed 130°. These <i>soupiraux</i> + or <i>respiradouros</i> are easily explained. The percolations from above + are heated to steam by stones rich in 'grough brimstone.' Here it was that + Humboldt saw apparent lateral shiftings and perpendicular oscillations of + fixed stars; and our Admiralty, not wishing to be behind him, directed + Professor P. Smyth's attention to 'scintillations in general.' Only the + youngest of travellers would use such a place as an observatory; and only + the youngest of observers would have considered this <i>libration of the + stars</i> an extraordinary phenomenon. + </p> + <p> + Directed by a regular line of steam-puffs, we attacked <i>El Pilon</i>, + the third story, the most modern cone of eruption, the dwarf chimney which + looks like a thimble from the sea. The lower third was of loose crumbling + pumice, more finely comminuted than we had yet seen; this is what Humboldt + calls 'ash-cones.' There was also a strew of porphyritic lava-chips + covered with a red (ochreous?) crust. Presently we reached a radiating rib + of lately ejected lava, possibly the ridge of a dyke, brown below and + gradually whitening with sulphuric acid as it rose towards the + crater-walls. The resting took longer than the walking up the steep talus; + and at 7.45: after a total of nine hours and a morning's work of two hours + and a half, which occupied two in descending, we stood upon the corona or + lip of 'Teyde.' + </p> + <p> + The height of the Tenerife Pike, once held the loftiest in the world, is + 12,198 feet, in round numbers 12,200. Thus it stands nearly at the + altitude of Mont Blanc (15,784 feet) above the Chamounix valley, a figure + of 12,284 feet. The slope from the base is 1 in 4.6. The direct distance + from Orotava on the map measures 10.5 miles; along the road 18, according + to the guides. The terminal chimney and outlet for vapours which would + erupt elsewhere, rises 520 feet from its pedestal, the central Rambleta, + and its ascent generally occupies an hour. One visitor has reduced this <i>montagne + pelée</i> to 60-70 feet, and compares it with the dome of a glass-house. + From below it resembles nothing so much as a cone of dirty brown <i>cassonade</i>, + and travellers are justified in calling it a sugarloaf. I can hardly rest + satisfied with Von Buch's description. 'Teyde is a pointed tower + surrounded by a ditch and a circular chain of bastions.' + </p> + <p> + The word Teyde is supposed to be a corruption of Echeyde, meaning Hades: + hence the title Isla Infierno, found in a map of A.D. 1367. The Guanches + also called it Ayadyrma, and here placed their pandemonium, under Guayota, + the head-fiend. The country-folk still term the crater-ring 'la caldera de + los diablos en que se cuecen todas las provisiones del Infierno' (the + Devil's caldron, wherein are cooked all the rations of the infernals). + Seen by moonlight, or on a star-lit night, the scenery would be weird and + ghostly enough to suggest such fancies, which remind us of Etna and + Lipari. + </p> + <p> + I had been prepared by descriptions for a huge chasm-like crater or + craters like those on Theon Ochéma, Camerones Peak. I found a spoon-shaped + hollow, with a gradual slope to the centre, 100 × 150 feet deep, the + greater length of the oval running north-east, where the side is higher, + to south-west, where there is also a tilt of the cup. The floor was a + surface of burning marl and whitish earthy dough-like paste, the effect of + sulphurous acid vapours upon the argile of the lava. This stratum was in + places more than 80 feet thick; and fumes rose fetid with sulphuric acid, + and sulphates of soda, alumina, and ammonia from the dead white, purple + red, vivid green, and brilliant yellow surface of the solfatara. Hence the + puffs of vapour seen from below against the sparkling blue sky, and + disappearing like huge birds upon the wings of the wind: hence, too, the + tradition of the mast and the lateen sail. A dig with the Guanche <i>magada</i> + or <i>lanza</i>, the island alpen-stock, either outside or inside the + crater, will turn up, under the moist white clay, lovely trimetric + crystals of sulphur, with the palest straw tint, deepening to orange, and + beautifully disposed in acicular shapes. The acid eats paper, and the + colours fade before they leave the cone. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: Dr. Wilde (1837) analysed the sulphur as follows: Silica, + 81·13; water, 8·87; and a trace of lime. Others have obtained from the + mineral, when condensed upon a cold surface, minute crystals of alum. Mr. + Addison found in the 'splendid crystals of octahedral sulphur' a + glistening white substance of crystalline structure, yet somewhat like + opal. When analysed it proved to contain 91 per cent. silex and the rest + water.] + </p> + <p> + When sitting down it is advisable to choose a block upon which dew-drops + pearl. A few minutes of rest upon a certain block of marl, whose genial + warmth is most grateful, squatting in the sharp cold air, neatly removes + all cloth in contact with the surface. More than one excursionist has + shown himself in that Humphrey Clinker condition which excited the wrath + of Count Tabitha. It is evident that Teyde is by no means exhausted, and + possibly it may return to the state of persistent eruption described by + the eye-witness Ca da Mosto, who landed on the Canaries in A.D. 1505. + </p> + <p> + Not at all impressed with the grandeur of the Inferno, we walked round the + narrow rim of the crater-cirque, and were shown a small breach in the wall + of porphyritic lava facing west. Mrs. Murray's authorities describe the <i>Caldera</i> + as being 'without any opening:' if this be the case the gap has lately + formed. The cold had driven away the lively little colony of bees, birds, + and butterflies which have been seen disporting themselves about the + bright white cauldron. There was not a breath of the threatened wind. + Manoel pointed out Mount Bermeja as the source of the lateral lava-stream + whose 'infernal avalanche,' on May 5, 1706, [Footnote: Preceding Ca da + Mosto's day another eruption (1492) was noted by Columbus, shortly before + his discovery of the Antilles. Garachico was the only port in Tenerife, + with a breakwater of rocky isle and water so deep that the yardarms of + men-of-war could almost touch the vineyards. Its quays were bordered by + large provision-stores, it had five convents, and its slopes were dotted + with villas. After an earthquake during the night a lava-stream from + several cones destroyed the village Del Tanque at 3:30 A.M., and at 9 P.M. + another flood entered Garachico at seven points, drove off the sea, ruined + the mole, and filled the port. It was followed by a cascade of fire at 8 + A.M. on the 13th of the same month, and the lava remained incandescent for + forty days.] overwhelmed 'Grarachico, pueblo rico,' + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: Alluding to the curse of the Franciscan Friar, who devoted the + town to destruction in these words:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + 'Garachico, pueblo rico, + Gastadero de dinero, + Mal risco te caiga encima!'] +</pre> + <p> + and spared Guimar, which it enclosed between two fiery streams. Despite + the white and woolly mists, the panorama of elevations, craters and + castellated eminences, separated by deep gashes and by <i>currals</i> like + those of Madeira, but verdure-bare, was stupendous. I have preserved, + however, little beyond names and heights. We did not suffer from <i>puna</i>, + or mountain sickness, which Bishop Sprat, of Rochester, mentions in 1650, + and which Mr. Darwin—alas that we must write the late!—cured + by botanising. I believe that it mostly results from disordered liver, + and, not unfrequently, in young Alpinists, from indigestion. + </p> + <p> + The descent of the Teyde <i>Piton</i>, in Vesuvian fashion, occupied ten + minutes. Our guides now whistled to their comrades below, who had remained + in charge of the animals. Old authors tell us that the Guanche whistle + could be heard for two leagues, and an English traveller declares that + after an experiment close to his ear he did not quite recover its use for + a fortnight. The return home was wholly without interest, except the + prospects of cloud-land, grander than those of Folkestone, which seemed to + open another world beneath our feet. Near the Santa Clara village all + turned out to prospect two faces which must have suggested only raw + beef-steaks. It was Sunday, and + </p> + <p> + (Garachico, wealthy town; wasteful of thy wealth, may an ill rock fall + upon thy head!) + </p> + <p> + both sexes were in their 'braws.' The men wore clean blanket-mantles, the + women coloured corsets laced in front, gowns of black serge or cotton, + dark blue shawls hardly reaching to their waist, and the usual white + kerchief, the Arab <i>kufiyah</i>, under the broad-brimmed straw or felt + hat, whose crown was decorated with the broadest and gayest ribbons. But + even this unpicturesque coiffure, almost worthy of Sierra Leone, failed to + conceal the nobility of face and figure, the well-turned limbs, the fine + hands and feet, and the <i>meneo</i>, or swimming walk, of this + Guanchinesque race, which everywhere forced itself upon the sight. The + proverb says— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + De Tenerife los hombres; + Las mugeres de Canária. +</pre> + <p> + It is curious to compare the realistic accounts of the nineteenth century + with those of the <i>vulcanio</i> two centuries ago. Ogilby (1670) tells + us that the Moors called it El-Bard (Cold), and we the 'Pike of Teneriff, + thought not to have its equal in the world for height, because it spires + with its top so high into the clouds that in clear weather it may be seen + sixty <i>Dutch</i> miles off at sea.' His illustration of the 'Piek-Bergh + op het Eilant Teneriffe' shows an almost perpendicular tower of natural + masonry rising from a low sow-back whose end is the 'Punt Tenago' (Anaga + Point). The 'considerable merchants and persons of credit,' whose ascent + furnished material for the Royal Society, set out from Orotava. 'In the + ascent of one mile some of our Company grew very faint and sick, + disorder'd by Fluxes, Vomitings, and Aguish Distempers; our Horses' Hair + standing upright like Bristles.' Higher up 'their Strong waters had lost + their Virtue, and were almost insipid, while their Wine was more + spirituous and brisk than before.' In those days also iron and copper, + silver and gold, were found in the calcined rocks of the Katakaumenon. It + is strange to note how much more was seen by ancient travellers than by us + moderns. + </p> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> </a> + CHAPTER VII. — THE SPANISH ACCOUNT OF THE REPULSE OF NELSON FROM + SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE. + </h2> + <p> + [Footnote: From the <i>Relacion circumstanciada de la Defensa que hizo la + Plaza de Santa Cruz</i>, by M. Monteverde. Published in Madrid, 1798.] + </p> + <p> + The following pages afford a circumstantial and, I believe, a fairly true + account of an incident much glossed over by our naval historians. The + subject is peculiarly interesting. At Santa Cruz, as at Fontenoy, the + Irish, whom harsh measures at home drove for protection to more friendly + lands, took ample share in the fighting which defeated England's greatest + sailor. Again, the short-sighted policy which sent to the Crimea 20,000 + British soldiers to play second instrument in concert with 40,000 + Frenchmen, thus lowering us in the eyes of Europe, made Nelson oppose his + 960 hands to more than eight times their number. The day may come when the + attack shall be repeated. Now that steam has rendered fleets independent + of south-west winds, it is to be hoped the assailant will prefer day to + night, so that his divisions can communicate; that he will not land in the + 'raging surf' of the ebb-tide, and that he will attack the almost + defenceless south instead of the well-fortified north of the city. + </p> + <p> + Already the heroic Island had inflicted partial or total defeat upon three + English admirals. [Footnote: Grand Canary also did her duty by beating + off, in October 1795, Drake's strong squadron.] In April 1657 the + Roundhead 'general at sea,' Admiral Sir Robert Blake, of Bridgewater, + attempted to cut out the Spanish galleons freighted with Mexican gold and + with the silver of Peru. Of these the principal were the <i>Santo-Cristo</i>, + the <i>Jesus-Maria</i>, the <i>Santo Sacramento</i>, <i>La Concepcion</i>, + the <i>San Juan</i>, the <i>Virgen de la Solitud</i>, and the <i>Nuestra + Señora del Buen Socorro</i>. This 'silver fleet' was moored under the guns + of the 'chief castle,' San Cristobal, the mean work at the root of the + mole. The English were preparing to board, when the Captain-General, D. + Diego de Egues, whom our histories call 'Diagues,' ordered the fleet to be + fired, after all the treasure had been housed in the fort. A steady fight + lasted three hours, during which the wife of the brave Governor, D. + Estevan de la Guerra, distinguished herself. 'I shall not be useless + here,' she exclaimed when invited to leave the batteries; and this 'maid + of Tenerife' continued to animate the garrison till the end. As was the + case with his great successor, Roundhead Blake's failure proved to him far + better than a success. For his <i>francesada</i>, or <i>coup de tête</i>, + Nelson expected to lose his commission, instead of which some popular + freak flung to him honour and honours. So Protector Cromwell sent a + valuable diamond ring to his 'general at sea,' in token of esteem on his + part and that of his Parliament. Our histories, relying on the fact that a + few weak batteries were silenced, claim for the Admiral a positive + victory, despite his losses—fifty killed and 500 wounded. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: The late Mr. Hepworth Dixon (<i>Life of Blake</i>, p. 346) + describes the open roadstead of Santa Cruz as a 'harbour shaped like a + horse-shoe, and defended at the north side of the entrance by a regular + castle.' In p. 350 we also read of the bay and its entrance. Any + hydrographic chart would have set him right.] + </p> + <p> + In 1706, during the Spanish war of succession, Admiral Jennings sailed + into Santa Cruz bay—the old Bay of Anaga or Anago—and lay off + San Cristobal + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: This work still remains. It is a parallelogram with four + bastions in star-shape, fronting the sea, and an embrasured wall facing + the town. It began as a chapel, set up by De Lugo to N. S. de la + Consolacion, and a tower was added in 1493. It was destroyed by the + Guanches and rebuilt by Charles Quint: the present building assumed its + shape in 1579. The main square, inland of San Cristobal, shows by a marble + cross where the conqueror planted with one hand a large affair of wood—hence + Santa Cruz. The original is, or was till lately, in the Civil Hospital.] + </p> + <p> + with twelve ships of the line. The Plaza was commanded, in the absence of + the Captain-General, by the Corregidor, D. Antonio de Ayala, who assembled + all the nobles in the castle's lower rooms and swore them to loyalty. The + English attempted to disembark, and were beaten back; whereupon, as under + Nelson, they sent a parliamentary and summoned the island to surrender to + the Archduke Charles of Austria. The envoy informed the Governor, who is + described by Dampier as sitting in a low, dark, uncarpeted room, adorned + only with muskets and pikes, that Philip V. had lost Gibraltar, that Cadiz + and Minorca had nearly fallen, and that the American galleons in the port + of Vigo had been burnt or captured by the English, whose army, entering + Castile, had overrun Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia. The brave reply + was, 'If Philip, our king, had lost his all in the Peninsula, these + islands would still remain faithful to him.' And the castle guns did such + damage that the Jennings squadron sailed away on the same evening. + </p> + <p> + The third expedition, detached by Admiral Sir John Jervis, afterwards + Earl St. Vincent, to 'cut out a richly freighted Manilla ship,' also + resulted in a tremendous failure. Captain Brenton, to gratify national + complacency, grossly exaggerates in his 'Naval History' the difficulty of + the enterprise. 'Of all places which ever came under our inspection none, + we conceive, is more invulnerable to attack or more easily defended than + Teneriffe.' He forgets to mention its principal guard, the valour of the + inhabitants. And now to my translation. + </p> + <p> + 'At dawn on July 2, [Footnote: James (<i>Naval History</i>, vol. ii. p. + 56) more correctly says July 20. So the <i>Despatches, &c., of Lord + Nelson</i>, Sir H. Nicholas, vol. ii. p. 429. The thanksgiving for the + victory took place on July 27, the fête of SS. Iago and Cristobal.] 1797, + the squadron [Footnote: The squadron was composed as follows:—1. <i>Theseus</i> + (74), Captain Ralph Willett Miller, carried the Rear-Admiral's flag; 2. <i>Culloden</i> + (74), Commodore and Captain Thos. Troubridge; 3. <i>Zealous</i> (74), + Captain Sam. Hood; 4. <i>Leander</i> (50), Captain Thos. Boulden Thomson, + which joined on the day before the attack. There were three frigates:—1. + <i>Seahorse</i> (38), Captain Thos. Francis Fremantle; 2. <i>Emerald</i> + (36), Captain John Waller; and 3. <i>Terpsichore</i> (32), Captain Richard + Bowen; also the <i>Fox</i> (cutter), Lieut. Commander John Gibson, and a + mortar-boat or a bomb-ketch, probably a ship's launch with a shell-gun.] + of Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson, K.B., composed of nine ships, and carrying + a total of 393 guns, appeared off Santa Cruz, the port of Tenerife, + Canarian archipelago. The enemy at once manned and put off his boats. One + division of sixteen occupied our front; the other twenty-three took the + direction of the Bufadero valley, a wild gap two or three miles to the + north of the harbour. + </p> + <p> + 'An alarm signal was immediately made in the town, when the enemy returned + to his ships, and made his troops prepare to disembark. At ten A.M. the + three frigates, towed by their boats, cast anchor out of cannon-shot, near + the Bufadero; whilst the other vessels plied to windward, [Footnote: At + the time the weather was calm in the town, but a violent levante, or east + wind, prevented vessels from approaching the bay, where the lee shore is + very dangerous.] and disembarked about 1,200 men on the beach of Valle + Seco, between the town and the valley. This party occupied the nearest + hill before it could be attacked; its movements showed an intention to + seize the steep rocky scarp commanding the Paso Alto—the furthest to + the north of the town. [Footnote: Nelson's rough sketch, vol. ii. p. 434, + shows that it had 26 guns. San Cristobal de Paso Alto commands the large + ravine called by the Guanches 'Tahoide' or 'Tejode,' which is now defended + by San Miguel. This is a small rockwork carrying six guns in two tiers, + the upper <i>en barbette</i> and the lower casemated.] Thus the enemy + would have been enabled to land fresh troops during the night; and, after + gaining the heights and roads leading to the town, to attack us in flank + as well as in front. + </p> + <p> + 'Light troops were detached to annoy the invader, and they soon occupied + the passes with praiseworthy celerity and boldness. One party was led by + the Capitaine de Frégate Citizen Ponné [Footnote: James calls him Zavier + Pommier. He commanded the French brig <i>Mutine</i> (14), of 349 tons, + with a crew of 135. As he landed at Santa Cruz with 22 of his men on May + 28, 1797, the frigates <i>Lively</i>, Captain Benjamin Hallowell, and the + <i>Minerva</i>, Captain George Cockburn, descried the hostile craft. + Lieutenant Hardy, of the <i>Minerva</i>, supported by six officers and + their respective boats' crews, boarded her as she lay at anchor. Despite + the fire of the garrison and of a large ship in the roads, he carried her, + after an hour's work, safe out of gunshot. Only 15 men were wounded, + including Lieutenant Hardy. This officer was at once put in command of the + <i>Mutine</i>, which he had so gallantly won.] and by the Lieutenant de + Vaisseau Citizen Faust. Both officers, who had been exchanged and restored + at the same port, showed much presence of mind on this occasion, and on + July 25 they applied to be posted at a dangerous point of attack—the + beach to the south of the town, near Puerto Caballas, beyond where the + Lazaretto now lies. When the enemy purposed assaulting a more central + post, they came up at the moment of the affair, ending in our victory. + </p> + <p> + 'A second party was composed of the Infantry Battalion of the Canaries, + [Footnote: This battalion afterwards distinguished itself highly in the + Peninsular war.] under Sub-Lieutenant Don Juan Sanchez. A third, composed + of 70 recruits from the Banderas [Footnote: <i>Bandera</i> is a flag, a + depôt, also a levy made by officers of Government.] of Havana and Cuba, + was led by Second Lieutenant Don Pedro Castillo; a fourth numbered + seventeen artillerymen and two officers, Lieutenant Don Josef Feo and + Sub-Lieutenant Don Francisco Dugi. A fifth, and the last, was of + twenty-five free chasseurs belonging to the town, and commanded by + Captains Don Felipe Viña and Don Luis Roman. + </p> + <p> + 'Our Commandant-General, H. E. Señor Don Juan Antonio Gutierrez, + [Footnote: Not Gutteri, as James has it, nor 'Gutienez,' as Mrs. Murray + prefers.] was residing in the principal castle of San Cristobal. His staff + consisted of the commandants of the Royal Corps of Artillery and + Engineers, Don Marcelo Estranio and Don Luis Margueli; of the Auditor of + War (an old office, the legal military adviser and judge), Don Vicente + Patiño; of Lieutenant-Colonel Don Juan Creagh (locally pronounced Cré-ah); + of the Secretary of Inspection Captain Don Juan Creagh; of the Secretary + to Government and Captain of Militia Don Guillermo de los Reyes; of the + Captain of Infantry Don Josef Victor Dominguez; of Lieutenants Don Vicente + Siera and Don Josef Calzadilla, Town-Adjutant—the latter three + acting as aides-de-camp to his Excellency—and of the first officers + of the Tobacco and Postal Bureaux, Don Juan Fernandez Uriarte and Don + Gaspar de Fuentes. + </p> + <p> + 'The five parties before alluded to, numbering a total of 191, were, at + his own request, placed under Lieutenant-Colonel the Marquess de la Fuente + de las Palmas, commanding the division of chasseurs. The first to mount + the hill nearest the enemy, he saw the increased force of the attacker, + who had placed a 4-pounder in position; whereupon he sent for + reinforcements and some pieces of cannon. Our Commandant-General, on + receipt of the message, ordered up four guns (3- and 4-pounders) with + fifty men under a captain of the Infantry Battalion of the Canaries. + Universal admiration was excited by the agility and intrepidity with which + twenty militiamen of the Laguna Regiment, under the chief of that corps, + Florencio Gonsalez, scaled the cliffs, carrying on their shoulders, + besides their own arms and ammunition, the four guns and their + appurtenances. + </p> + <p> + 'Meanwhile our troops replied bravely to the enemy's deliberate fire of + musketry and field-pieces. As he sallied out to a spring in the Valle + Seco, two of his men were killed by the French party and the levies of + Havana and Cuba, whilst a third died of suffocation whilst scaling the + heights. At the same time Lieutenant-Colonel Don Juan Creagh, commanding + the Infantry Battalion, accompanied by a volunteer, Don Vicente Siera, + Lieutenant of the local corps (<i>fixo</i>) of Cuba, led thirty of his men + and fifty Rozadores [Footnote: The insular name of an irregular corps, now + done away with. Literally taken, the word means sicklemen.] belonging to + the city of La Laguna. They proceeded across country in order to + reconnoitre the enemy's rear. Before nightfall they succeeded in occupying + high ground in the same valley opposite the heights held by the English, + and in manning the defiles through which the latter must pass on their way + to the town. + </p> + <p> + 'As soon as the enemy saw these troops, he formed in five companies near + his field-gun. Lieutenant-Colonel Creagh was joined by some 500 men of the + Laguna militia, and their lieutenant, Don Nicholas Quintin Garcia, + followed by the peasantry of the adjoining districts, under the Alcalde or + Mayor of Taganana. These and all the other troops were liberally supplied + with provisions by the <i>Ayuntamiento</i> (municipality) of the Island. + </p> + <p> + 'On the next morning (July 23) our scouts being sent down to the valley, + found that the enemy had disappeared during the night. Notwithstanding + which, the Marquess de las Palmas ordered a deliberate fire to be kept up + in case of surprise. Our General, when informed of the event, recalled the + troops. The Marquess, who unfortunately received a fall which kept him <i>hors + de combat</i> for many days, [Footnote: I find pencilled in the original + volume, 'Que caida tam oportuna!' (What a lucky fall!)] obeyed with his + command at 5 P.M., leaving behind him thirty men under Don Felix Uriundo, + second lieutenant of the Battalion of Canaries. Don Juan Creagh did the + same with his men. But as the French commandant reported that some of the + enemy were still lurking about the place, our General-in-Chief directed + Captain Don Santiago Madan, second adjutant of the same corps, to + reconnoitre once more the Valle Seco with 120 Rozadores. This duty was + well performed, despite the roughness of the paths and the excessive heat + of the sun. + </p> + <p> + 'The enemy's squadron now seemed inclined to desist from its attempt. At 6 + A.M. of July 23 Rear-Admiral Nelson's flagship, which, with the other + ships of the line, had kept in the offing, drew near, and signalled the + frigates to sheer off from the point and to rejoin the rest of the + squadron. These, however, at 3 P.M., allowed themselves to drop down the + coast towards the dangerous southern reaches between Barranco Hondo, + beyond the Quarantine-house and the village of Candelaria, distant a day's + march from Santa Cruz. To prevent their landing men, Captain Don Antonio + Eduardo, and the special engineer, Don Manuel Madera, reconnoitred the + shore about Puerto Caballas, to see if artillery could be brought there. + Meanwhile Sub-Lieutenant Don Cristobal Trinidad, of the Guimar Regiment, + watched, with fifty of his men, the coast near San Isidro, [Footnote: Here + the landing is easiest.] which is not far from Barranco Hondo. The + squadron, however, retired to such a distance that it could hardly be + discerned from the town, as it bore S.E. 1/4 E.: notwithstanding which, + all preparations were made to give the enemy a warm reception. + </p> + <p> + 'At daylight on July 24 the squadron again appeared, crowding on all sail + to gain the weather-side. The look-out at Anaga Point, north of the + island, signalled three ships from that direction, and two to the south, + where we could distinguish only one of fifteen guns, which was presently + joined by the rest. At 6 P.M. the enemy anchored with his whole force on + the same ground which the frigates chose on the 22nd, and feinted to + attack Paso Alto Fort. Our General and chiefs were not deceived. + Foreseeing that we should be assaulted in front, and to the right or + south, [Footnote: The town of Santa Cruz runs due north and south in a + right line; the bay affords no shelter to shipping, and the beach is + rocky.] they made their dispositions accordingly, without, however, + neglecting to protect the left. + </p> + <p> + 'At 6 P.M. a frigate and the bomb-ketch approached Paso Alto, and the + latter opened fire upon the fort and the heights behind it. These + positions were occupied by 56 men of the Battalion of the Canaries, 40 + Rozadores, under Second Lieutenant Don Felix Uriundo, and 16 artillerymen, + commanded by Sub-Lieutenant of Militia Artillery Don Josef Cambreleng. + [Footnote: A Flemish name, I believe: the family is still in the island.] + Of 43 shells, however, only one fell in the fort, bursting in a place + where straw for soldiers' beds had been stored, and this, like the others, + did no damage. [Footnote: A fragment of this shell is preserved in the + Fort Chapel for the edification of strangers.] Paso Alto, commanded by the + Captain of the Royal Corps of Artillery, Don Vicente Rosique, replied + firmly. At the same time Don Juan del Castillo, sub-lieutenant of militia, + with 16 men, reconnoitred, by H. E. the Governor's orders, the Valle Seco. + The operation was boldly performed, despite the darkness of night and + other dangers; and our soldiers returned with a prisoner, an Irish sailor + of the <i>Fox</i> cutter, who had swum off from his ship. + </p> + <p> + 'The enemy now prepared his force for the attack. One thousand five + hundred men, [Footnote: James numbers 200 seamen and marines from each of + the three line-of-battle ships, and 100 from each of the three frigates, + besides officers, servants, and a small detachment of Royal Artillery. + This made a total of 1,000 to 1,060 men, commanded by Captain, afterwards + Admiral, Sir Thomas Troubridge, Bart. Nelson (<i>Despatches</i>, vol. ii. + p. 43) says 600 to 700 men in the squadron boats, 180 on board the <i>Fox</i>, + and about 70 or 80 in a captured boat; total, at most, 960.] as we were + afterwards informed, well armed with guns, pistols, pikes, swords, saws, + and hatchets, and led by their best officers, among whom was the + Rear-Admiral, embarked in their boats. At 2.15 A.M. (July 25) they put off + in the deepest silence. The frigate of the Philippine Islands Company, + anchored outside the shipping in the bay, discovered them when close + alongside. Almost at the same moment the Paso Alto Fort, under + Lieutenant-Colonel Don Pedro de Higueras, and the Captain of Artillery Don + Vicente Rosique, gave the signal to the (saluting) battery of San Antonio + [Footnote: This old work, <i>à fleur d'eau</i>, still remains; and near it + are the ruins of the Bateria de los Melones, on land bought by the + Davidson family.] in the town, held by the Captain of Militia Artillery + Don Patricio Madan. They alarmed the citizens by their fire, and the enemy + attacked with rare intrepidity. + </p> + <p> + 'The defence was gallantly kept up by the battery of San Miguel, under + Sub-Lieutenant of Artillery Don Josef Marrero; by the Castle of San Pedro, + [Footnote: The San Pedro battery dated from 1797. It defended the southern + town with six embrasures and three guns <i>en barbette</i>. For many years + huge mortars and old guns lay outside this work.] under the Captain of + Artillery Don Francisco Tolosa; by the Provisional Battery de los Melones, + [Footnote: Now destroyed. It was, I have said, near the new casemates + north of the town.] under the Sergeant of Militia Juan Evangelista; by the + Mole-battery, under Lieutenant of the Royal Corps of Artillery Don Joaquim + Ruiz and Sub-Lieutenant of Militia Don Francisco Dugi; by the Castle of + San Cristobal, under the Captain of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and + Brigade-Major Don Antonio Eduardo, who commanded the central and right + batteries, and Lieutenant of Militia Artillery Don Francisco Grandi, to + whom were entrusted the defences on our left; by the battery of La + Concepcion, [Footnote: Where the Custom House now is, in the middle of the + town.] under Captain of the Royal Regiment of Artillery Don Clemente + Falcon; and by that of San Telmo, [Footnote: Near the dirty little square + south of the Custom House. The word is thus written throughout the Canary + Islands; in Italy, Sant' Elmo.] under the Captain of Militia Artillery Don + Sebastian Yanez. + </p> + <p> + 'The rest of our line did not fire, because the enemy's boats had not + passed the Barranco, or stony watercourse, which divides the southern from + the northern town. In the Castle of San Juan, + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: It is the southernmost work, afterwards used as a + powder-magazine. To the south of the town are also the Bateria de la Rosa, + near the coal-sheds, and the Santa Isabel work. The latter had 22 fine + brass guns, each of 13 centimètres, made at Seville, once a famous + manufactory.] + </p> + <p> + however, Captain Don Diego Fernandez Calderia trained four guns to bear + upon the beach, which was protected by the Laguna militia regiment, under + Lieutenant-Colonel Juan de Castro. + </p> + <p> + 'So hot and well-directed was our fire, that almost all the boats were + driven back, and the <i>Fox</i> cutter, with her commander and 382 of the + landing party—others said 450—also carrying a reserve store of + arms and ammunition, was sunk. [Footnote: Nelson, <i>loc. cit.</i>, says + 180 men were in the <i>Fox</i>, and of these 97 were lost. So Captain + Brenton, <i>Naval History</i>, says 97. In vol. ii. p. 84, speaking of + Trafalgar, he informs us that the French ship <i>Indomptable</i> (84), M. + Hubart, was wrecked off Rota, where her crew, said to be 1,500 men, <i>all + perished</i>. Add, 'except M. Maffiote, of Tenerife, and about 143 + others.'] Rear-Admiral Nelson lost his right arm before he could touch + ground, and was compelled to return to his flag-ship, with the other + officers of his boat all badly wounded. [Footnote: The grape-shot was + fired from the Castle of San Pedro; others opine from San Cristobal; and + the Canarese say that a splinter of stone did the work. According to most + authorities, Nelson was half-way up the mole. James declares that Nelson's + elbow was struck by a shot as he was drawing his sword and stepping out of + his boat. In Nelson's <i>Despatches, loc. cit.</i>, we read that the 'mole + was instantly stormed and carried, although defended by 400 or 500 men, + and the guns—six 24-pounders—were spiked; but such a heavy + fire of musketry and grape-shot was kept up from the citadel and houses at + the head of the mole that we could not advance, and nearly all were + killed.'] The brave Captain Bowen was killed on the first step of the + Mole, a volley of grape tearing away his stomach. [Footnote: This officer + is said to have caused the expedition, by describing it to Admiral Jervis + and the British Government as an easy exploit. He had previously cut out + of this bay a Philippine Island frigate, <i>El Principe Fernando</i>; and + he had with him, as guide, a Chinese prisoner, taken in that vessel. The + guide was also killed. Captain Bowen's family made some exertions to + recover certain small articles which he carried about him—watch, + pistols, &c.—and failed. One pistol was lost, and for the other + its possessor modestly demanded 14<i>l</i>.] Nineteen other Englishmen + were struck down by a discharge of grape. The gun which fired it had, on + that same night, been placed by the governor of the Castle of San + Cristobal, Don Josef Monteverde, [Footnote: There is a note in my volume, + 'Father of the adopted son, Miguelito Morales.'] at a new embrasure which + he caused to be opened in the flank of the bastion. [Footnote: This part + of the castle has now been altered, and mounted with brass 80-pounders.] + Thus it commanded the landing-place, where before there was dead ground. + The enemy afterwards confessed that the injury thus done was the first + cause of his misfortunes. + </p> + <p> + 'Notwithstanding the Rear-Admiral's wound and the enemy's loss in men and + chief officers, a single boat, carrying Captain and Commodore Troubridge, + covered by the smoke and the darkness, landed at the Caleta [Footnote: + 'Caleta' means literally a <i>cul de sac</i>. At Santa Cruz it is applied + to a rocky tract near the Custom-house Battery: in those days it was the + place where goods were disembarked.] beach. At the same time the main body + of the English, who had escaped the grape of the Castle of San Cristobal + and the batteries La Concepcion and San Telmo, disembarked a little + further south, at the Barranquillo del Aceyte, [Footnote: This ditch is + now built over and converted into a drain. It runs a little above the + present omnibus stables.] at the Butcheries, and at the Barranco Santo. + [Footnote: Also called de la Cassona—'of the Dog-fish'—that + animal being often caught in a <i>charco</i>, or pool, in the broad + watercourse. So those baptised in the parish church are popularly said to + have been 'dipped in the waters of the Dog-fish Pool.'] The levies of + Havana and Cuba, posted in the Butcheries under Second Lieutenant Don + Pedro de Castilla, being unable to repulse the enemy's superior force, + retreated upon the Battalion of Infantry of the Canaries, consisting of + 260 men and officers, including the militia. This corps, supported by two + field-guns, [Footnote: In the original 'canones violentos,' <i>i.e.</i> + 4-pounders, 6-pounders, or 8-pounders.] ably and energetically worked by + the pilots, Nicolas Franco and Josef Garcia, did such damage that the + English were in turn compelled to fall back upon the beaches of the + Barranco and the Butcheries. + </p> + <p> + 'These were the only places where the enemy was able to gain a footing in + the town. He marched in two columns, one, with drums beating, by the + little square of the parish church (La Concepcion) to the convent of Santo + Domingo, [Footnote: Afterwards pulled down to make room for a theatre and + a market-place.] and the other to the Plaza [Footnote: Plaza here means + the square behind the castle. In other places it applies to the fortified + part of the town.] of the San Cristobal castle. His plan of attack was to + occupy the latter post, but he was driven back from the portcullis after + losing one officer by the hot fire of the militia-Captain Don Esteban + Benitez de Lugo. Thus driven back to the Caleta, the invaders marched + along the street called "de las Tiendas." [Footnote: It is now the 'Cruz + Verde.' In those days it was the principal street; the Galle del Castello + (holding at present that rank) then showed only scattered houses.] They + then drew up at the head of the square, maintaining a silence which was + not broken by nine guns discharged at them by the Captain of Laguna + Chasseurs Don Fernando del Hoyo, nor by the aspect of the two field-pieces + ranged in front of them by the Mayor, who was present at all the most + important points in the centre of the line. The cause was discovered in an + order afterwards found in the pocket of Lieut. Robinson, R.M. It ran to + this effect:—[Footnote: This and other official documents are + translated into English from the Spanish. According to our naval + despatches and histories the senior marine officer who commanded the whole + detachment was Captain Thomas Oldfleld, R.M. The 'Relacion + circumstanciada' declares that the original is in the hands of Don + Bernardo Cologan y Fablon, another Irish-Spanish gentleman who united + valour and patriotism. He was seen traversing, sabre in hand, the most + dangerous places, encouraging the men and attending to the wounded so + zealously that he parted even with his shirt for bandaging their hurts.] + </p> + <p> + 'July 24, night. + </p> + <p> + 'SIR,—You will repair with the party under your command to H.M.S. <i>Zealous</i>, + where you will receive final instructions. Care must be taken to keep + silence in the ranks, and the only countersign which you and your men are + to use is that of "The <i>Leander</i>." + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +'I am, Sir, &c. &c., + '(Signed) T. THOMPSON. +</pre> + <p> + 'Lieutenant Robinson, R.M. + </p> + <p> + 'Standing at the head of the square, the enemy could observe that not far + from them was a provision-store, guarded by Don Juan Casalon and Don + Antonio Power, [Footnote: The original has it 'Pouver,' a misprint. The + Irish-Spanish family of Power is well known in the Canaries.] the two + "deputies of Abastos." [Footnote: Now called <i>regidores</i>—officers + who are charged with distributing rations.] The English seized it, + wounding Dons Patricio Power and Casalon, who, after receiving two blows + with an axe, escaped. They then obliged, under parole, the deputy Power + and Don Luis Fonspertius to conduct into the Castle a sergeant sent to + parly. Our Commandant-General, when summoned to surrender the town within + two minutes, under pain of its being burned, returned an answer worthy of + his honour and gallantry. "Such a proposal," he remarked, "requires no + reply," and in proof thereof he ordered the party to be detained. + [Footnote: According to James, who follows Troubridge's report, the + sergeant was shot in the streets and no answer was received.] + </p> + <p> + 'Meanwhile our militiamen harassed the first column of the enemy, + compelling it, by street-fighting, to form up in the little squares of + Santo Domingo and of the parish church. Our Commandant-General was + startled when he found that this position cut off direct communication + between San Cristobal and the Battalion of the Canaries, whose fire, like + that of the militiamen on the right, suddenly ceased. But he was assured + that the battalion was unbroken, and all the central posts except the Mole + were supported, by the report of Lieutenant Don Vicente Siera: this + officer had just attacked with 30 men of that battalion the enemy's boats + as they lay grounded at the mouth of the Barranco Santo, dislodging the + defenders, who had taken shelter behind them, and making five prisoners. + The English were stopped at the narrow way near the base of the pier by + the hot fire of the troops under Captain and Adjutant of Chasseurs Don + Luis Roman, the nine militiamen under Don Francisco Jorva, the sergeant of + the guard Domingo Mendez, and a recruit of the Havana levy; these made + forty-four prisoners, including six officers, whilst twelve were wounded. + Our Commandant-General was presently put out of all doubt by Don Josef + Monteverde. This governor of San Cristobal, when informed that 2,000 + Englishmen had entered the town, intending probably to attack the Castle + with the scaling-ladders brought from their boats, resolved himself to + inspect the whole esplanade, and accordingly reconnoitred the front and + flank of the Citadel. + </p> + <p> + 'All our advantages were well-nigh lost by a report which spread through + the garrison when our firing ceased. A cry arose that our chief was + killed, and that as the English who had taken the town were marching upon + La Laguna, they must be intercepted at the <i>cuesta</i>, or hill, behind + Santa Cruz. It is easy to conceive what a panic such rumours would cause + among badly armed and half-drilled militia. The report arose thus:—Our + Commandant-General seeing the defenders of the battery at the foot of the + Mole retreating, and hearing them cry, "Que nos cortan!" (We are cut + off!), sallied out with Don Juan Creagh and other officers, the Port + Captain, the Town Adjutant, and the chief collector of the tobacco-tax. + After ordering the corps of Chasseurs, 89 men and 9 officers, to fire, our + chief returned, leaning upon the arm of Don Juan Creagh, and some + inconsiderate person thought that he was wounded. Fortunately this + indiscretion went no further than the Chasseur Battalion of the Canaries + and the militiamen on our right. + </p> + <p> + 'When this battalion was not wanted in its former position it was ordered + to the square behind the Citadel. The movement was effected about daybreak + by Don Manuel Salcedo, Lieutenant of the King. [Footnote: An old title + (now changed) given to the military governor of Santa Cruz and the second + highest authority in the archipelago. Marshal O'Donnell was Teniente del + Rey at Tenerife, and he was born in a house facing the cross in the main + square of Santa Cruz.] That officer had never left his corps, patrolling + with it along the beaches where the enemy disembarked, and he had sent to + the barracks twenty-six prisoners, besides three whom he captured at San + Cristobal. When the battalion was formed up and no enemy appeared, the + Adjutant-Major enquired about them in a loud voice. Meanwhile the Laguna + militia, who in two divisions, each of 120 men, under Lieut.-Col. Don Juan + Baptista de Castro, had been posted from San Telmo to the Grariton, + [Footnote: Meaning a large <i>garita</i>, or sentry-box. It is a place + near the windmills to the south of the town.] were also ordered to the + main square. In two separate parties they marched, one in direct line, the + other by upper streets, to cut off the enemy's retreat and place him + between two fires. As the latter, however, entered the little square of + Santo Domingo, their commander, Lieut.-Col. de Castro, hearing a confusion + of tongues, mistook for Spaniards and Frenchmen the English who were + holding it. Thereupon the enemy fired a volley, which killed him and a + militiaman and wounded many, whilst several were taken prisoners. + </p> + <p> + 'The attackers presently manned the windows of Santo Domingo, and kept up + a hot fire against our militiamen. They then determined to send an officer + of marines to our Commandant-General, once more demanding the surrender of + the town under the threat of burning it. At the order of Lieut.-Col. Don + Juan Guinther the parliamentary was conducted to the Citadel by Captain + Don Santiago Madan. Our chief replied only that the city had still powder, + ball, and fighting men. + </p> + <p> + 'Thereupon the affair recommenced. One battalion came up with two + field-guns to support its friends, and several militiamen died honourably, + exposing themselves to the fire of an entrenched enemy. Our position was + further reinforced by the militia-pickets that had been skirmishing in the + streets, and by the greater part of those who, deceived by a false report, + had retired to the slopes of La Laguna. + </p> + <p> + 'Already it was morning, when a squadron of five armed boats was seen + making for our right. Our brave artillerymen had not the patience to let + them approach, but at once directed at them a hot fire, especially from + the Mole battery, under Don Francisco Grandi. That officer, accompanied by + the second constable, Manuel Troncos, had just passed from the Citadel + [Footnote: La Ciudadela, to the north of the mole, is not built, as we + read in Colburn (<i>U. S. Magazine</i>, January 1864), on an artificial + wall. It has a moat, casemates, loopholes, and twelve <i>bouches à feu</i> + for plunging fire. The lines will connect with La Laguna and complete the + defences of the capital.] to the battery in question, and had removed the + spikes driven into the guns by Citoyen François Martiney when he saw them + abandoned. [Footnote: The English diary shows that the Spaniards had + spiked the guns.] The principal Castle and the Mole batteries, supported + by that of La Concepcion, rained a shower of grape at a long range with + such precision that three boats were sunk and the two others fell back + upon the squadron. At the same time the Port Captain and Flag Officer of + the frigate ordered his men to knock out the bottoms of eighteen boats + which the enemy after his attack had left on the beach. + </p> + <p> + 'The English posted in the convent, seeing the destruction of their + reinforcements, lost heart and persuaded the prior, Fray Carlos de Lugo, + and the master, Fray Juan de Iriarte, to bear another message to our + chief. The officer commanding the enemy's troops declared himself ready to + respect the lives and property of those about him provided that the Royal + Treasury and that of the Philippine Company were surrendered, otherwise + that he could not answer for the consequences. + </p> + <p> + 'This deputation received the same laconic reply as those preceding it. + Seeing the firmness of our Commandant-General and the crowds of peasantry + gathering from all parts, the enemy's courage was damped, and his second + in command, Captain Samuel Hood, came out to parley. This officer, + perceiving that the Militiamen who had joined the Chasseurs were preparing + to attack, signalled with a white flag a cessation of hostilities, and our + men were restrained by the orders of Don Fernando del Hoyo. Both parties + advanced to the middle of the bridge, where they were met by + Lieutenant-Colonel Don Juan Guinther, commanding the Battalion of the + Canaries, who could speak many languages, and by the Adjutant-Major, Don + Juan Battaler. These officers also withheld their men, who were opening + fire as they turned the corner of the street in which, a little before, + Don Rafael Fernandez, a sub-lieutenant of the same corps, had fallen, shot + through the body, whilst heading an attack upon the enemy. + </p> + <p> + 'With a white flag and drums beating, the English officer, accompanied by + those who had already parleyed with our Commandant-General, marched to the + citadel. At the bridge of the street "de las Tiendas" he was met by the + Lieutenant of the King, by the Sergeant-Major of the town, by + Lieutenant-Colonel Creagh, by Captain Madan, carrying the flag of truce, + and by the Town Adjutant, who conducted him with eyes bandaged to the + presence of our chief. Captain Hood did not hesitate again to demand + surrender, which was curtly refused. This decision, and the chances of + destruction in case of hostilities continuing, made him alter his tone. At + length both chiefs came to terms. The instrument was written by Captain + Hood, and was at once ratified by Captain Thomas Troubridge, commanding + H.B.M.'s troops. The following is a copy of the <i>'Terms agreed upon with + the Governor of the Canary Islands.</i> + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: The original is in the <i>Nelson Papers</i>. It is written by + Captain Hood, and signed by him, Captain Troubridge, and the Spanish + Governor.] + </p> + <p> + 'Santa Cruz: July 25,1797. + </p> + <p> + 'That the troops, &c., belonging to his Britannick Majesty shall + embark with their arms of every kind, and take their boats off, if saved, + and be provided with such others as may be wanting; in consideration of + which it is engaged on their part that the ships of the British squadron, + now before it, shall in no way molest the town in any manner, or any of + the islands in the Canaries, and prisoners shall be given up on both + sides. + </p> + <p> + 'Given under my hand and word of honour. + </p> + <h3> + 'SAML. HOOD. + </h3> + <p> + '<i>Ratified by</i> + </p> + <p> + 'T. TROUBRIDGE, Commander of the British Troops; 'JN. ANTONIO GUTIERREZ, + Com'te.-Gen. de las Islas de Canaria. + </p> + <p> + 'This done, Captain Samuel Hood was escorted back to his men by those who + had conducted him to the Citadel. + </p> + <p> + 'At this moment a new incident occurred at sea. The squadron, convinced of + the failure of its attempt, began to get under way: already H.B.M.'s ship + <i>Theseus</i>, carrying the Rear-Admiral's flag, and one of the frigates + had been swept by the current to opposite the valley of San Andres. + [Footnote: A gorge lying to the north of the town, like the 'Valle Seco' + and the Bufadero.] From its martello-tower the Lieutenant of Artillery Don + Josef Feo fired upon them with such accuracy that almost every shot told, + the <i>Theseus</i> losing a yardarm and a cable, She replied with sundry + broadsides, whilst the bomb-ketch, which had got into position, discharged + some ten shells, and yet was so maltreated, one man being killed and + another wounded, that she was either crippled or hoisted on board by the + enemy. + </p> + <p> + 'When the terms of truce were settled, the English troops marched in + column out of the convent; and, reaching the bridge of the Barranquillo + del Aceyte, fired their pieces in the air. Then with shouldered arms and + drums beating they made for the Mole, passing in front of our troops and + of the French auxiliaries, who had formed an oblong square in the great + plaza behind the Citadel, from whose terrace our chief watched them. + </p> + <p> + 'When Captain Hood suddenly sighted his implacable enemies the French, he + gave way to an outbreak of rage and violent exclamations, and he even made + a proposal which might have renewed hostilities had he failed to give + prompt satisfaction. He presently confessed to having gone too far and + renewed his protestations to keep the conditions of peace. + </p> + <p> + 'Boats and two brigantines (island craft) were got ready to receive the + British troops at the Mole. Meanwhile our Commandant-General ordered all + of them to be supplied with copious refreshments of bread and wine, a + generous act which astonished them not less than the kindness shown to + their wounded by the officials of the hospital. They hardly knew how to + express their sense of a treatment so different from what they had + expected. During their cruise from Cadiz their officers, hoping to make + them fight the better, told them that the Canarians were a ferocious race + who never gave quarter to the conquered. + </p> + <p> + 'Our chief invited the British officers to dine with him that day. They + excused themselves on the plea that they must look after their men, upon + whom the wine had taken a strong effect, and deferred it till the morrow. + They also offered to be the bearers of the tidings announcing our success + and to carry to Spain all letters entrusted to their care. Our chief did + not hesitate to commit to their charge, under parole, his official + despatches to the Crown; and all the correspondence was couched in terms + so ingenuous that even the enemy could not but admire so much moderation. + </p> + <p> + 'During the course of the day the English re-embarked, bearing with a + guard of honour the corpses of Captain Bowen and of another officer of + rank. [Footnote: This is fabulous. Captain Richard Bowen, 'than whom a + more enterprising, able, and gallant officer does not grace H.M.'s naval + service,' was the only loss of any consequence. All the rest were + lieutenants.] They (who?) had stripped off his laced coat when he expired + in a cell of the Santo Domingo convent, [Footnote: In Spanish two saints + claim the title 'Santo,' viz. Domingo and Thomas: all the rest are 'San.'] + disfigured his face, and dressed him as a sailor. The wounded, twenty-two + in number, did not leave the hospital till next day: among them was + Lieutenant Robinson in the agonies of death. + </p> + <p> + 'Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson hearing the politeness, the generosity, + and the magnanimity with which our Commandant-General followed up his + success, and feeling his own noble heart warm with grateful sentiments, + dictated to him an official letter, which he signed for the first time + with his left hand. [Footnote: The original of this peculiarly interesting + document, written on official paper, was kept in a tin box under lock at + the Captain-General's office, Santa Cruz, and in 1864 it was transferred + to the archives of Madrid. The writing is that of a secretary, who put by + mistake 1796 for 1797. A copy of it, published in Harrison's <i>Life of + Nelson</i> (vol. i. p. 215), was thence transferred to Nicolas's <i>Despatches + and Letters</i>. It is <i>bonâ fide</i> the first appearance of Nelson's + signature with his left hand, despite the number of 'first signatures' + owned by the curious of England.] + </p> + <p> + '<i>To His Excellency Don Antonio Gutierrez, Commandant-General of the + Canary Islands.</i> + </p> + <p> + 'His Majesty's ship <i>Theseus</i>, opposite Santa Cruz de Teneriffe: July + 26, 1796. + </p> + <p> + 'Sir,—I cannot take my departure from this Island without returning + your Excellency my sincerest thanks for your attention towards me, by your + humanity in favour of our wounded men in your power or under your care, + and for your generosity towards all our people who were disembarked, which + I shall not fail to represent to my Sovereign; hoping also, at a proper + time, to assure your Excellency in person how truly I am, Sir, your most + obedient humble Servant, + </p> + <p> + '(Signed) HORATIO NELSON. + </p> + <p> + 'P.S. I trust your Excellency will do me the honour to accept of a cask of + English beer and a cheese. + </p> + <p> + 'To Señor Don Antonio Gutierrez, Commandant-General, Canary Islands. + </p> + <p> + 'Having received with due appreciation this honourable letter, our chief + replied as follows:— + </p> + <p> + 'Muy Señor mio de mi mayor attencion! [Footnote: This courteous Castilian + phrase would lose too much by translation.]—I have received with the + greatest pleasure your estimable communication, the proof of your + generosity and kindly feeling. My belief is that the man who follows only + the dictates of humanity can claim no laurels, and to this may be reduced + all that has been done for the wounded and for those who disembarked: I + must consider them my brethren the moment hostilities terminate. + </p> + <p> + 'If, sir, in the state to which the ever uncertain fortunes of war have + reduced you, either I or anything which this island produces could afford + assistance or relief, it would afford me a real pleasure. I hope that you + will accept two demijohns of wine which is, I believe, not the worst of + our produce. + </p> + <p> + 'It would be most satisfactory to me if I could personally discuss, when + circumstances permit, a subject upon which you, sir, display such high and + worthy gifts. In the meantime I pray that God may preserve your life for + many and happy years. + </p> + <p> + 'I am, Sir, + </p> + <p> + 'Your most obedient and attentive Servant, + </p> + <p> + '(Signed) Don ANTONIO GUTIERREZ. + </p> + <p> + 'Santa Cruz de Tenerife: July 26, 1797. + </p> + <p> + 'P.S. I have received and duly appreciated the beer and the cheese with + which you have been pleased to favour me. + </p> + <p> + 'PP.S. I recommend to your care, sir, the petition of the French, which + Commodore Troubridge will have reported to you in my name. + </p> + <p> + 'To Admiral Don Horatio Nelson. + </p> + <p> + 'Such was the end of an event which will ever be memorable in the annals + of the Canarian Islands. When we know that on our side hardly 500 men + armed with firelocks entered into action, and that the 97 cannon used on + this occasion, and requiring 532 artillery-men, were served by only 320 + gunners, of whom but 43 were veterans and the rest militia; [Footnote: + According to James, who follows the report of Captain Troubridge (vol. ii. + p. 427), there were 8,000 Spaniards and 100 Frenchmen under arms. + Unfortunate Clio!] when we remember that we took from the enemy a + field-gun, a flag, [Footnote: This was the ensign of the <i>Fox</i> + cutter, sunk at the place where the African steamships now anchor.] two + drums, a number of guns, pikes, swords, pistols, hand-ladders, ammunition, + &c. &c., with a loss on our part of only 23 killed [Footnote: Two + officers—viz. Don Juan Bautista de Castro, before alluded to; Don + Rafael Fernandez, also mentioned—and 21 noncommissioned officers, 5 + soldiers of the Canarian battalion, 2 chasseurs, 4 militiamen, 1 militia + artilleryman, 4 French auxiliaries, and 5 civilians.] and 28 wounded, + [Footnote: Namely, 3 officers—Don Simon de Lara, severely wounded at + the narrow part of the Mole, Don Dionisio Navarro, sub-lieutenant of the + Provincial Regiment of La Laguna, and Don Josef Dugi, cadet of the + Canarian battalion—25 noncommissioned officers, 5 men of the same + battalion, 1 chasseur, 1 sergeant, 11 militiamen, 1 soldier of the Havana + depôt, 1 ditto of Cuban ditto, 1 militia artilleryman, and 5 French + auxiliaries. This, however, does not include those suffering from + contusions, amongst whom was Don Juan Rosel, sub-lieutenant of the + Provincial Regiment of Orotava.] whereas the enemy lost 22 officers and + 576 men [Footnote: Nelson (<i>Despatches</i>, vol. ii. p. 424) says 28 + seamen, 16 marines killed (total 44); 90 seamen, 15 marines wounded; 97 + seamen and marines drowned; 5 seamen and marines missing. Total killed, + 141; wounded, 105; and grand total, 246 <i>hors de combat</i>. The total + of 251 casualties nearly equals that of the great victory at Cape St. + Vincent.]—when, I say, we take into consideration all these + circumstances, we cannot but consider our defence wonderful and our + triumph most glorious. + </p> + <p> + 'We must not forget the gallant part taken in this affair by the two + divisions of the Rozadores irregulars, who were provided with sickles, + knives, and other weapons by the armoury of La Laguna. One division of + forty peasants was placed under the Marquess del Prado and the Viscount de + Buenpaso, who both, though not military men, hastened to the town when the + attack was no longer doubtful. The other body of thirty-five men was + committed to Don Simon de Lara, already mentioned amongst the wounded. In + the heat of the affair and the darkness of night the first division was + somewhat scattered as it entered the streets leading to the Barranco Santo + (watercourse), where the Canarian battalion was attacking the English as + they landed. The Marquess, after escaping the enemy, who for half an hour + surrounded without recognising him, and expecting instant death, attempted + to cross the small square of Santo Domingo to the Plaza of the Citadel. He + was prevented from so doing by the voices of the attacking party posted in + the little place. He therefore retired to the upper part of the town, and + took post on the Convent-flank. The Viscount marched his men to the square + of the Citadel, where they were detained by Lieutenant Jorva to reinforce + the post and to withdraw a field-gun that had been dangerously placed in + the street of San Josef. + </p> + <p> + 'Equally well deserving of their country's gratitude were sundry others, + especially Diego Correa, first chief of the Provincial Regiment of Guimar, + who, forgetting his illness, sprang from his bed at the trumpet's sound, + boldly met the foe with sword and pistol, and took eleven prisoners to the + Citadel. Don Josef de Guesala, not satisfied with doing the mounted duties + required of him, followed the enemy with not less courage than Diego + Correa, at the head of certain militiamen who had lost their way in the + streets. + </p> + <p> + 'Good service was also done by the Alcalde and the deputies [Footnote: The + local aldermen.] of the district. In charge of the four parties, composed + of tradesmen and burghers, they patrolled the streets and guarded against + danger from fire. They also issued to all those on duty rations of bread + and wine punctually and abundantly from the night of the 22nd till that of + the 25th of July. + </p> + <p> + 'No circumstantial account of our remarkable success would be complete + without recording, in the highest and the most grateful terms, the zeal + with which the very noble the Municipality (<i>ayuntamiento</i>) of + Tenerife took part in winning our laurels. Since July 22, when the first + alarm-signal was made at Santa Cruz, Don Josef de Castilla, the Chief + Magistrate (<i>Corregidor</i>), with the nobility and men at arms (<i>armas-tomar</i>) + assembled in force on the main square of La Laguna (<i>Plaza del + Adelantado</i>). The Mayor (<i>Alcalde Mayor</i>), Don Vicente Ortiz de + Rivera, presided over the court (<i>cabildo</i>), at which were present + all those members (<i> regidores </i>) who were not personally serving + against the enemy. These were the town deputies, Don Lopo de la Guerra, + Don Josef Saviñon, Don Antonio Riquel, Don Cayetano Pereza, Don Francisco + Fernandez Bello, Don Miguel de Laisequilla, and Don Juan Fernandez + Calderin, with the Deputy Syndic-General, Don Filipe Carillo. Their + meetings were also attended by other gentlemen and under-officers (<i> + curiales </i>), who were told off to their respective duties according to + the order laid down for defending the Island. After making a careful + survey of the bread and provisions in the market, also of the wheat and + flour in the bakeries and of the reserve stores, they promptly supplied + the country-people who crowded into the city. Wind being at this season + wanting for the mills, we were greatly assisted by a cargo of 3,000 + barrels of flour taken before Madeira from an Anglo-American prize by the + Buonaparte, a French privateer, who brought her to our port. This supply + sufficed for the militia stationed on the heights of Taganana, in the + Valle Seco, near the streams of the Punta del Hidalgo, Texina, Baxamar, + the Valley of San Andrés, and lastly the line of Santa Cruz, Guadamogete, + and Candelaria, whose posts cover more than twenty-four miles of coast + between the north-west and the south of the island. + </p> + <p> + 'Equally well rationed were the peasants who passed by La Laguna <i>en + route</i> to Santa Cruz and other parts; they consumed about 16,000 lbs. + of bread, 300 lbs. of biscuit, seven and a half pipes of wine; rice, meat, + cheese, and other comestibles. Meanwhile, at the application of the + Municipality to the venerable Vicar Ecclesiastic, and to the parish + priests and superiors of the community (<i>prelados</i>), prayers were + offered up in the churches, and certain of the clergy collected from the + neighbouring houses lint and bandages for the wounded. The soldiers in the + Paso Alto and Valle Seco received 100 pairs of slippers, for which our + Commandant-General had indented. Many peasants who had applied for and + obtained guns, knives, and other weapons from the Laguna armoury were sent + off to defend the northern part of the island. On the main road descending + to Santa Cruz the Chief Magistrate planted a provisional battery with two + field-pieces belonging to the Court of Aldermen. When thus engaged an + unfortunate fall from his horse compelled him to retire. + </p> + <p> + 'That patriotic body the Municipality of Santa Cruz sat permanently in the + Mansion House, engaged in the most important matters from the dawn of July + 22 to noon on the 25th; nor was its firmness shaken even by the sinister + reports to which others lent ear. When on the morning of the latter day + our chief communicated to them the glowing success of our arms and the + disastrous repulse of the enemy, they hastened to appoint July 27 for a + solemn Te Deum. It is the day on which the island of Tenerife was + conquered exactly three centuries before, and thus it became the annual + festival of San Cristobal, its patron. + </p> + <p> + 'The secular religious and the regular monastic communities performed this + function with pomp and singular apparatus in the parish church of Our Lady + of the Conception. The Town-court carried the banner which had waved in + the days of the Conquest, escorted by a company of the Canarian battalion + and its band. These stood during the office at the church door, and + saluted with three volleys the elevation of the host. Master Fray Antonio + Raymond, of the Order of St. Augustine, preached upon the grateful theme + to a sympathising congregation. The court, retiring with equal ceremony, + gave a brilliant banquet to the officers of the battalion, to the chiefs + of the provincial regiments of La Laguna and Guimar, and to all their + illustrious compatriots who had taken part in the contest. Volleys and + band performances saluted the three loyal and patriotic toasts—"the + King," "the Commandant-General," and "the Defenders of the Country." The + town, in sign of jubilee, was illuminated for several successive nights. + </p> + <p> + 'A Te Deum was also sung in the parish church of Los Remedios at La + Laguna, with sermon and high mass performed at the expense of Don Josef + Bartolomé de Mesa, Treasurer-General of the Royal Exchequer. Our harbour + settlement obtained from the King the title of "very noble, loyal, and + invict town, [Footnote: <i>Villa</i>, town, not city.] port and fort of + Santa Cruz de Santiago." [Footnote: Holy Cross of St. James.] Recognising + the evident protection of St. James, patron saint of Spain, on whose + festival the enemy had been defeated, a magnificent procession was + consecrated to him on July 30. His image was borne through the streets by + the four captains of the several corps, whilst six other officers, + followed by a picket of garrison troops and a crowd of townspeople, + carried the colours taken from the English. + </p> + <p> + 'On the next day were celebrated the obsequies of those who had fallen + honourably in defence of their beloved country. The ceremony took place in + the parish church of Santa Cruz, and was repeated in the cathedral of + Grand Canary and in the churches and convents of the other islands. The + Ecclesiastical Court of Tenerife ordered the Chapter of Music to sing a + solemn Te Deum, at which the municipal body attended. On the next day a + mass of thanksgiving was said, with exposition of the Holy Sacrament + throughout the day, and a sermon was preached by the canon superior, Don + Josef Icaza Cabrexas. Lastly, a very solemn funeral function, with + magnificent display, did due honour to their memory who for their + country's good had laid down their lives.' Mrs. Elizabeth Murray, wife of + H.B.M.'s Consul for Tenerife and author of an amusing book, [Footnote: <i>Sixteen + Years of an Artist's Life in Morocco</i>, &c. Hurst and Blackett, + 1859. I quote from vol. i. chap. iv.] adds certain local details + concerning Nelson's ill-fated attack. It is boldly stated that during the + rash affair the Commandant-General and his staff remained safely inside + the Castle of San Cristobal, and that when the English forces captured the + monastery the Spanish authorities resolved to surrender. This step was + opposed by a sergeant, Manoel Cuera, who, 'with more familiarity than is + usual when soldiers are separated so far by their respective ranks, placed + his hand upon the shoulder of his commanding officer and said, "No, your + Excellency, you shall not give up the Plaza; we are not yet reduced to + such a strait as that."' Whereupon the General, 'assuming his usual + courage, followed his sergeant's advice, and continued the engagement till + it was brought to a termination equally honourable to Englishmen and + Spaniards.' + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Murray also declares that Captain Troubridge, when invested in the + monastery by superior numbers, placed before his men a line of prisoners, + and that these being persons of influence, the assailants fired high; + moreover that Colonel M(onteverde?), the commander of the island troops, + was an Italian who spoke bad Spanish, and kept shouting to his men, + 'Condanate vois a matar a la Santisima Trinitate!' The officer sent to + parley (Captain Hood) was, we are told, accompanied to the citadel by a + gentleman named Murphy, whom the English had taken prisoner. A panic + (before mentioned) came from three militia officers, who, mounting a + single animal, rode off to La Laguna, assuring the <i>cabildo</i> and the + townspeople that Santa Cruz had fallen. One of this 'valiant triumvirate' + had succeeded to a large property on condition of never disgracing his + name, and after the flight he had the grace to offer it to a younger + brother who had distinguished himself in South America. The junior told + him not to be a fool, and the property was left to the proprietor's + children, 'his grandson being in possession of it at the present day.' + </p> + <p> + The chapter ends with the fate of one O'Rooney, a merchant's clerk who + cast his lot with the Spaniards, and whom General Gutierrez sent with an + order to the commandant of Paso Alto Fort. Being in liquor, he took the + Marina, or shortest road; and, when questioned by the enemy, at once told + his errand. 'In those days and in such circumstances,' writes the lively + lady, 'soldiers were very speedy in their decisions, and the marine who + had challenged O'Rooney at once bayonetted him, while his comrade rifled + his pockets and appropriated his clothes.' + </p> + <p> + Remains only to state that the colours of the unfortunate cutter <i>Fox</i> + and her boats are still in the chapel of Sant' Iago, on the left side of + the Santa Cruz parish church, La Concepcion. Planted against the wall + flanking the cross, in long coffin-like cases with glass fronts, they have + been the object of marked attention on the part of sundry British middies. + And the baser sort of town-folk never fail to show by their freedom, or + rather impudence of face and deportment, that they have not forgotten the + old story, and that they still glory in having repulsed the best sailor in + Europe. + </p> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> </a> + CHAPTER VIII. — TO GRAND CANARY—LAS PALMAS, THE CAPITAL. + </h2> + <p> + At noon (January 10) the British and African s.s. <i>Senegal</i> weighed + for Grand Canary, which stood in unusually distinct relief to the east, + and which, this time, was not moated by a tumbling sea. Usually it is; + moreover, it lies hidden by a bank of French-grey clouds, here and there + sun-gilt and wind-bleached. We saw the 'Pike' bury itself under the blue + horizon, at first cloaked in its wintry ermines and then capped with + fleecy white nimbus, which confused itself with the snows. + </p> + <p> + I had now a good opportunity of observing my fellow-passengers bound down + south. They consisted of the usual four classes—naval, military, + colonial officials, and commercials. The latter I noted narrowly as the + quondam good Shepherd of the so-called 'Palm-oil Lambs.' All were young + fellows without a sign of the old trader, and well-mannered enough. When + returning homewards, however, their society was by no means so pleasant; + it was noisy, and 'larky,' besides being addicted to the dullest practical + jokes, such as peppering beds. On board <i>Senegal</i> each sat at meat + with his glass of Adam's ale by his plate-side, looking prim, and grave, + and precise as persons at a christening who are not in the habit of + frequenting christenings. Captain Keene took the earliest opportunity of + assuring me that since my time—indeed, since the last ten years—the + Bights and the Bightsmen had greatly changed; that spirit-drinking was + utterly unknown, and that ten-o'clock-go-to-bed life was the general rule. + But this unnatural state of things did not last long. Wine, beer, and even + Martell (three stars) presently reappeared; and I noted that the + evening-chorus had preserved all its peculiar <i>verve</i>. The fact is + that West Africa has been subjected to the hateful espionage, that prying + into private affairs, which dates in Western India from the days of a + certain nameless governor. Every attempt at jollification was reported to + the houses at home, and often an evil rumour against a man went to + Liverpool and returned to 'the Coast' before it was known to himself and + his friends in the same river. May all such dismal attempts to make Jack + and Jill dull boys and girls fail as utterly! + </p> + <p> + Early in the afternoon we steamed past Galdar and La Guia, rival villages + famed for cheeses on the north-western coast of lumpy Grand Canary, sheets + of habitation gleaming white at the feet of their respective brown <i>montañetas</i>. + The former was celebrated in local story; its Guanche <i>guanarteme</i>, + or great chief, as opposed to the subordinate <i>mencey</i>, being one of + the two potentates in 'Tameran,' the self-styled 'Island of Braves.' This, + too, was the site of the Tahoro, or Tagoror, temple and senate-house of + the ancients. The principal interest of these wild people is the + mysterious foreknowledge of their fate that seems to have come to them by + a manner of intuition, of uninspired prophecy. [Footnote: So in Candelaria + of Tenerife the Virgin appeared in effigy to the shepherds of Chimisay in + 1392, a century before the Norman Conquest, and dwelt fifty-four years + amongst the Gentiles of Chinguaro. At least so say DD. Juan Nuñez de la + Peña (<i>Conquista i Antiguidades de la Gran Canaria</i>, &c., Madrid, + 1676); Antonio Viana (<i>Antiguidades de las Islas Afortunadas</i>, &c., + Seville, 1604) in his heroic poem, and Fray Alonzo de Espinosa (<i>Historia + de la Aparicion y Milagres de la Imagem de N.S. de Candelaria</i>). The + learned and unprejudiced Canon Viera y Clavijo (<i>Noticias de la Historia + geral de las Islas de Canaria</i>, 3 vols.) bravely doubts whether reason + and sane criticism had flourished together in those times.] + </p> + <p> + In the clear winter-air we could distinctly trace the bold contour of the + upper heights tipped by the central haystack, El Nublo, a giant trachytic + monolith. We passed Confital Bay, whose 'comfits' are galettes of stone, + and gave a wide berth to the Isleta and its Sphinx's head. This rocky + peninsula, projecting sharply from the north-eastern chord of the circle, + is outlined by a dangerous reef, and drops suddenly into 130 fathoms. + Supported on the north by great columns of basalt, it is the terminus of a + secondary chain, trending north-east—south-west, and meeting the <i>Cumbre</i>, + or highest ground, whose strike is north-west—south-east. Like the + knuckle-bone of the Tenerife ham it is a contorted mass of red and black + lavas and scoriae, with sharp slides and stone-floods still distinctly + traceable. Of its five eruptive cones the highest, which supports the + Atalaya Vieja, or old look-out, now the signal-station, rises to 1,200 + feet. A fine lighthouse, with detached quarters for the men, crowns + another crater-top to the north. The grim block wants water at this + season, when the thinnest coat of green clothes its black-red forms. La + Isleta appears to have been a burial-ground of the indigenes, who, instead + of stowing away their mummies in caves, built detached sepulchres and + raised tumuli of scoriae over their embalmed dead. As at Peruvian Arica, + many remains have been exposed by modern earthquakes and landslips. + </p> + <p> + Rounding the Islet, and accompanied by curious canoes like paper-boats, + and by fishing-craft which bounded over the waves like dolphins, we spun + by the Puerto de la Luz, a line of flat-topped whitewashed houses, the + only remarkable feature being the large and unused Lazaretto. A few + barques still lie off the landing-place, where I have been compelled more + than once to take refuge. In my day it was proposed to cut a ship-canal + through the low neck of barren sand, which bears nothing but a 'chapparal' + of tamarisk. During the last twenty years, however, the isthmus has been + connected with the mainland by a fine causeway, paved with concrete, and + by an excellent highroad. The sand of the neck, thrown by the winds high + up the cliffs which back the city, evidently dates from the days when La + Isleta was an island. It contrasts sharply with the grey basaltic shingle + that faces the capital and forms the ship-building yard. + </p> + <p> + We coasted along the yellow lowland, with its tormented background of tall + cones, bluffs, and <i>falaises</i>; and we anchored, at 4 P.M., in the + roadstead of Las Palmas, north of the spot where our s.s. <i>Senegal</i> + whilom broke her back. The capital, fronting east, like Santa Cruz, lies + at the foot of a high sea-wall, whose straight and sloping lines betray + their submarine origin: in places it is caverned for quarries and for the + homes of the troglodyte artisans; and up its flanks straggle whitewashed + boxes towards the local necropolis. The dryness of the atmosphere destroys + aerial perspective; and the view looks flat as a scene-painting. The + terraced roofs suggest to Britishers that the top-floor has been blown + off. Las Palmas is divided into two halves, northern and southern, by a + grim black wady, like the Madeiran <i>ribeiras</i>, [Footnote: According + to the usual law of the neo-Latin languages, 'ribeiro' (masc.) is a small + cleft, 'ribeira' (fem.) is a large ravine.] the 'Giniguada,' or Barranco + de la Ciudad, the normal grisly gashes in the background curtain. The + eye-striking buildings are the whitewashed Castillo del Rey, a flat fort + of antique structure crowning the western heights and connected by a + broken wall with the Casa Mata, or platform half-way down: it is backed by + a larger and stronger work, the Castillo de Sant' Ana. The next notability + is the new theatre, large enough for any European capital. Lastly, an + immense and gloomy pile, the Cathedral rises conspicuously from the white + sheet of city, all cubes and windows. Clad in a suit of sombrest brown + patched with plaster, with its domelet and its two towers of basalt very + far apart. This fane is unhappily fronted westward, the high altar facing + Jerusalem. And thus it turns its back upon the world of voyagers. + </p> + <p> + In former days, when winds and waves were high, we landed on the sands + near the dark grey Castillo de la Luz, in the Port of Light. Thence we had + to walk, ride, or drive—when a carriage was to be hired—over + the four kilomètres which separated us from the city. We passed the + Castles of San Fernando and La Catalina to the villas and the gardens + planted with thin trees that outlie the north; and we entered the capital + by a neat bridge thrown over the Barranco de la Mata, where a wall from + the upper castle once kept out the doughty aborigines. Thence we fell into + the northern quarter, La Triana, and found shabby rooms and shocking fare + either at the British Hotel (Mrs. Bishop) or the Hôtel Monson—both + no more. Now we land conveniently, thanks to Dons Santiago Verdugo and + Juan Leon y Castilhos, at a spur of the new pier with the red light, to + the north of the city, and find ourselves at once in the streets. For many + years this comfortable mole excited the strongest opposition: it was + wasting money, and the stones, carelessly thrown in, would at once be + carried off by the sea and increase the drenching breakers which outlie + the beach. Time has, as usual, settled the dispute. It is now being + prolonged eastwards; but again they say that the work is swept away as + soon as done; that the water is too deep, and even that sinking a ship + loaded with stones would not resist the strong arm of Eurus, who buries + everything in surf. The mole is provided with the normal <i>Sanidad</i>, + or health office, with solid magazines, and with a civilised tramway used + to transport the huge cubes of concrete. At the tongue-root is a neat + little garden, wanting only shade: two dragon-trees here attract the eye. + Thence we pass at once into the main line, La Triana, which bisects the + commercial town. This reminiscence of the Seville suburb begins rather + like a road than a street, but it ends with the inevitable cobble-stones. + The <i>trottoirs</i>, we remark, are of flags disposed lengthways; in the + rival Island they lie crosswise. The thoroughfares are scrupulously named, + after Spanish fashion; in Fernando Po they labelled even the bush-roads. + The substantial houses with green balconies are white, bound in brown + edgings of trachyte, basalt, and lava: here and there a single story of + rude construction stands like a dwarf by the side of its giant neighbour. + </p> + <p> + The huge and still unfinished cathedral is well worth a visit. It is + called after Santa Ana, a personage in this island. When Grand Canary had + been attacked successively and to scant purpose by De Béthencourt (1402), + by Diego de Herrera (1464), and by Diego de Silva, the Catholic Queen and + King sent, on January 24, 1474, Don Juan Rejon to finish the work. This <i>Conquistador</i>, + a morose and violent man, was marching upon the west of the island, where + his reception would have been of the warmest, when he was met at the site + of the present Ermita de San Antonio by an old fisherman, who advised him + of his danger. He took warning, fortified his camp, which occupied the + site of the present city, beat off the enemy, and defeated, at the battle + of Giniguada, a league of chiefs headed by the valiant and obstinate + Doramas. The fisherman having suddenly disappeared, incontinently became a + miraculous apparition of the Virgin's mother. Rejon founded the cathedral + in her honour; but he was not destined to rest in it. He was recalled to + Spain. He attacked Grand Canary three times, and as often failed; at last + he left it, and after all his campaigns he was killed and buried at + Gomera. Nor, despite Saint Anne, did the stout islanders yield to Pedro de + Vera (1480-83) till they had fought an eighty years' fight for + independence. + </p> + <p> + The cathedral, which Mr. P. Barker Webb compares with the Church of St. + Sulpice, is built of poor schiste and bad sandstone-rubble, revetted with + good lava and basalt. The latter material here takes in age a fine mellow + creamy coat, as in the 'giant cities' of the Hauran, the absurd title of + Mr. Porter. The order is Ionic below, Corinthian above, and the pile sadly + wants a dome instead of a pepper-caster domelet. One of the towers was + finished only forty-five years ago, and a Scotch merchant added, much to + his disgust, a weather-cock. In the interior green, blue, and yellow glass + tempers the austerity of the whitewashed walls and the gloom of the grey + basaltic columns, bindings, and ceiling-ribbings. Concerning the ceiling, + which prettily imitates an archwork of trees, they tell the following + tale. The Bishop and Chapter, having resolved in 1500 to repair the work + of Don Diego Montaude, entrusted the work to Don Diego Nicholas Eduardo, + of Laguna, an Hispano-Hibernian—according to the English. This young + architect built with so light a hand that the masons struck work till he + encouraged them by sitting beneath his own creation. The same, they say, + was done at Belem, Lisbon. The interior is Gothic, unlike all others in + the islands; and the piers, lofty and elegant, imitate palm-fronds, a + delicate flattery to 'Las Palmas' and a good specimen of local invention. + There are a nave and two aisles: four noble transversal columns sustaining + the choir-vault adorn the walls. The pulpit and high altar are admirable + as the choir; the only eyesores are the diminutive organ and the eleven + side-chapels with their caricatures of high art. The large and + heavily-railed choir in mid-nave, so common in the mother country, breaks + the unity of the place and dwarfs its grand proportions. After the manner + of Spanish churches, which love to concentrate dazzling colour at the + upper end, the high altar is hung with crimson velvet curtains; and its + massive silver lamps (one Italian, presented by Cardinal Ximenes), + salvers, altar-facings, and other fixings are said to have cost over + 24,000 francs. The lectern is supposed to have been preserved from the + older cathedral. + </p> + <p> + There are other curiosities in this building. The sacristy, supported by + side-walls on the arch principle, and ceilinged with stone instead of + wood, is shown as a minor miracle. The vestry contains gigantic wardrobes, + full of ladies' delights—marvellous vestments, weighted with massive + braidings of gold and silver, most delicate handwork in every imaginable + colour and form. There are magnificent donations of crucifixes and + candlesticks, cups, goblets, and other vessels required by the church + services—all the result of private piety. In the Chapel of St. + Catherine, built at his own expense, lies buried Cairasco, the bard whom + Cervantes recognised as his master in style. His epitaph, dating A.D. + 1610, reads— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Lyricen et vates, toto celebratus in orbe, + Hic jacet inclusus, nomine ad astra volans. +</pre> + <p> + A statue to him was erected opposite the old 'Cairasco Theatre' in 1876. + Under the grand altar, with other dignitaries of the cathedral, are the + remains of the learned and amiable historian of the isles, Canon José de + Viera y Clavigo, born at Lanzarote, poet, 'elegant translator' of Buffon, + lexicographer, and honest man. + </p> + <p> + Directly facing the cathedral-façade is the square, headed by the <i>Ayuntamiento</i>, + an Ionic building which would make a first-rate hotel. Satirical + Britishers declare that it was copied from one of Day and Martin's labels. + The old townhall was burnt in 1842, and of its valuable documents nothing + was saved. On the right of the plaza is an humble building, the episcopal + palace, founded in 1578 by Bishop Cristobal de la Vega. It was rebuilt by + his successor, Cristobal de la Camara, who forbade the pretty housekeeper, + prohibited his priests from entering nunneries, and prescribed public + confessionals—a measure still much to be desired. But he must have + been a man of extreme views, for he actually proscribed gossip. This was + some thirty years after Admiral van der Does and his Dutchmen fired upon + the city and were beaten off with a loss of 2,000 men. + </p> + <p> + South of the cathedral, and in Colegio Street (so called from the + Augustine college, [Footnote: There is still a college of that name where + meteorological observations are regularly made.] now converted into a + tribunal), we find a small old house with heavily barred windows—the + ex-Inquisition. This also has been desecrated into utility. The Holy + Office began in 1504, and became a free tribunal in 1567. Its palace was + here founded in 1659 by Don José Balderan, and restored in 1787 by Don + Diego Nicholas Eduardo, whose fine fronting staircase has been much + admired. The Holy Tribunal broke up in 1820, when, the Constitution + proving too strong for St. Dominic, the college-students mounted the + belfry; and, amid the stupefaction of the shuddering multitude, joyously + tolled its death-knell. All the material was sold, even the large leather + chairs with gilt nails used for ecclesiastical sitting. 'God defend us + from its resurrection,' mutters the civil old huissier, as he leads us to + the dungeons below through the mean court with its poor verandah propped + on wooden posts. Part of it facing the magistrates' chapel was turned into + a prison for petty malefactors; and the two upper <i>salas</i> were + converted into a provisional <i>Audiencia</i>, or supreme court, large + halls hung with the portraits of the old governors. The new <i>Audiencia</i> + at the bottom of Colegio Street, built by M. Botta at an expense of 20,000 + dollars, has a fine court with covered cloisters above and an open gallery + below, supported by thin pillars of basalt. + </p> + <p> + Resuming our walk down La Triana southwards, we note the grand new + theatre, not unlike that of Dresden: it wants only opening and a company. + Then we cross the Giniguada wady by a bridge with a wooden floor, iron + railings, and stone piers, and enter the <i>Viñeta</i>, or official, as + opposed to the commercial, town. On the south side is the fish-market, + new, pretty, and gingerbread. It adjoins the general market, a fine, solid + old building like that of Santa Cruz, containing bakers' and butchers' + stalls, and all things wanted by the housekeeper. A little beyond it the + Triana ends in an archway leading to a square court, under whose shaded + sides mules and asses are tethered. We turn to the right and gain Balcones + Street, where stands the comfortable hotel of Don Ramon Lopez. Most + soothing to the eye is the cool green-grown <i>patio</i> after the + prospect of the hot and barren highlands which back the Palm-City. + </p> + <p> + Walking up the right flank of the Giniguada Ribeira, we cross the old + stone bridge with three arches and marble statues of the four seasons. It + places us in the Plazuela, the irregular space which leads to the Mayor de + Triana, the square of the old theatre. The western side is occupied by a + huge yellow building, the old Church and Convent of San Francisco, now + turned into barracks. In parts it is battlemented; and its belfry, a wall + of basalt pierced with a lancet-arch to hang bells, hints at earthquakes. + An inscription upon the old theatre, the usual neat building of white and + grey-brown basalt, informs us that it was built in 1852, <i>ad honorem</i> + of two deputies. But Santa Cruz, the modern capital, has provided herself + with a larger and a better house; <i>ergo</i> Las Palmas, the old capital, + must fain do the same. The metropolis of Grand Canary, moreover, claims to + count more noses than that of Tenerife. To the west of the older theatre, + in the same block, is the casino, club, and ball-room, with two French + billiard-tables and smoking-rooms. The old hotel attached to the theatre + has now ceased to exist. + </p> + <p> + On the opposite side of the square lies the little Alameda promenade, the + grounds once belonging to St. Francis. The raised walk, shaded by a pretty + arch-way of palm-trees, is planted with myrtles, dahlias, and bignonias. + It has all the requisites of its kind—band-stand, green-posted + oil-lamps, and scrolled seats of brown basalt. Round this square rise the + best houses, mostly new; as in the Peninsula, however, as well as in both + archipelagos, all have shops below. We are beginning to imitate this + excellent practice of utilising the unwholesome ground-floor in the big + new hotels of London. Two large houses are, or were, painted to mimic + brick, things as hideous as anything further north. + </p> + <p> + In this part of the Triana lived the colony of English merchants, once so + numerous that they had their own club and gymnasium. All had taken the + local colouring, and were more Spanish than the Spaniards. A celebrated + case of barratry was going on in 1863, the date of my first visit, when + Lloyds sent out a detective and my friend Capt. Heathcote, I.N., to + conduct the legal proceedings. I innocently asked why the British + vice-consul was not sufficient, and was assured that no resident could + interfere, <i>alias</i> dared do his duty, under pain of social ostracism + and a host of enmities. In those days a man who gained his lawsuit went + about weaponed and escorted, as in modern Ireland, by a troop of armed + servants. Landlord-potting also was by no means unknown; and the murder of + the Marquess de las Palmas caused memorable sensation. + </p> + <p> + Indescribable was the want of hospitality which characterised the + Hispano-Englishmen of Las Palmas. I have called twice upon a + fellow-countryman without his dreaming of asking me upstairs. Such shyness + may be understood in foreigners, who often entertain wild ideas concerning + what an Englishman expects. But these people were wealthy; nor were they + wholly expatriated. Finally, it was with the utmost difficulty that I + obtained from one of them a pound of home-grown arrowroot for the sick + child of a friend. + </p> + <p> + On the other hand, I have ever met with the greatest civility from the + Spanish Canarians. I am especially indebted to Don J. B. Carlo, the + packet-agent, who gave me copies of 'El Museo Canario, Revista de la + Sociedad del mismo nombre' (Las Palmas)—the transactions published + by the Museum of Las Palmas. Two mummies of Canarian origin have lately + been added to the collection, and the library has become respectable. The + steamers are now so hurried that I had no time to inspect it, nor to call + upon Don Gregorio Chil y Naranjo, President of the Anthropological + Society. This savant, whose name has become well known in Paris, is + printing at Las Palmas his 'Estudios Historicos,' &c., the outcome of + a life's labour. Don Agustin Millares is also publishing 'La Historia de + las Islas Canarias,' in three volumes, each of 400 to 450 pages. + </p> + <p> + I made three short excursions in Grand Canary to Telde, to the Caldera, + and to Doramas, which showed me the formation of the island. My notes + taken at the time must now be quoted. <i>En route</i> for the former, we + drove past the large city-hospital: here in old times was another strong + wall, defending the southern part, and corresponding with the northern or + Barranco line. The road running to the south-south-west was peculiarly + good; the tunnel through the hill-spur suggested classical and romantic + Posilippo. It was well parapeted near the sea, and it had heavy cuttings + in the white <i>tosca</i>, a rock somewhat resembling the <i>calcaire + grossier</i> of the Paris basin. This light pumice-like stone, + occasionally forming a conglomerate or pudding, and slightly effervescing + with acids, is fertile where soft, and where hard quite sterile. + Hereabouts lay Gando, one of the earliest forts built by the <i>Conquistadores</i>. + We then bent inland, or westward, crossed barren stony ground, red and + black, and entered the pretty and fertile valley with its scatter of + houses known as La Vega de Ginamar. + </p> + <p> + I obtained a guide, and struck up the proper right of a modern lava-bed + which does not reach the sea. The path wound around rough hills, here and + there scattered with fig-trees and vines, with lupines, euphorbias, and + other wild growths. From the summit of the southern front we sighted the + Cima de Ginamar, popularly called El Pozo (the Well). It is a volcanic + blowing-hole of oval shape, about fifty feet in long diameter, and the + elliptical mouth discharged to the north the lava-bed before seen. + Apparently it is connected with the Bandana Peak, further west. Here the + aborigines martyred sundry friars before the <i>Conquistadores</i> + 'divided land and water' amongst them. The guide declared that the hole + must reach the sea, which lies at least 1,200 feet below; that the sound + of water is often to be heard in it, and that men, let down to recover the + corpses of cattle, had been frightened away by strange sights and sounds. + He threw in stones, explaining that they must be large, otherwise they + lodge upon the ledges. I heard them dash, dash, dash from side to side, at + various intervals of different depths, till the pom-om-m subsided into + silence. The crevasses showed no sign of the rock-pigeon (<i>Columba livia</i>), + a bird once abounding. Nothing could be weirder than the effect of the + scene in clear moonlight: the contrast of snowy beams and sable ground + perfectly suited the uncanny look and the weird legends of the site. + </p> + <p> + Beyond the Cima we made the gay little town of Telde, which lodges some + 4,000 souls, entering it by a wide <i>fiumara</i>, over which a bridge was + then building. The streets were mere lines of scattered houses, and the + prominent buildings were the white dome of San Pedro and San Juan with its + two steeples of the normal grey basalt. Near the latter lay the little + Alameda, beggar-haunted as usual. On the north side of the Barranco rose a + caverned rock inhabited by the poor. We shall see this troglodytic feature + better developed elsewhere. + </p> + <p> + To visit the Caldera de Bandana, three miles from the city, we hired a + carriage with the normal row of three lean rats, which managed, however, + to canter or gallop the greater part of the way. The boy-driver, Agustin, + was a fair specimen of his race, obstinate as a Berber or a mule. As it + was Sunday he wanted to halt at every <i>venta</i> (pub), <i>curioseando</i>—that + is, admiring the opposite sex. Some of the younger girls are undoubtedly + pretty, yet they show unmistakable signs of Guanche blood. The toilette is + not becoming: here the shawl takes the place of the mantilla, and the + head-covering, as in Tenerife, is capped by the hideous billycock. To all + my remonstrances Don Agustin curtly replied with the usual island formula, + 'Am I a slave?' This class has a surly, grumbling way, utterly wanting the + dignity of the lower-order Spaniard and the Moor; and it is to be managed + only by threatening to withhold the <i>propinas</i> (tip). But the jarvey, + like the bath-man, the barber, and generally the body-servant and the + menial classes which wait upon man's person, are not always models of + civility. + </p> + <p> + We again passed the hospital and ascended the new zigzag to the right of + the Giniguada. The torrent-bed, now bright green with arum and pepper, + grows vegetables, maize, and cactus. Its banks bear large plantations of + the dates from which Las Palmas borrows her pretty Eastern names. In most + places they are mere brabs, and, like the olive, they fail to fruit. The + larger growths are barbarously docked, as in Catholic countries generally; + and the fronds are reduced to mere brooms and rats'-tails. The people are + not fond of palms; the shade and the roots, they say, injure their crops, + and the tree is barely worth one dollar per annum. + </p> + <p> + At the top of the Cuesta de San Roque, which reminded me of its namesake + near Gibraltar, I found a barren ridge growing only euphorbia. The + Barranco Seco, on the top, showed in the sole a conspicuously big house + which has no other view but the sides of a barren trough. This was the + 'folly' of an eccentric nobleman, who preferred the absence to the company + of his friends. + </p> + <p> + Half an hour's cold, bleak drive placed us at the Tafira village. Here the + land yields four crops a year, two of maize and two of potatoes. Formerly + worth $100 per acre, the annual value had been raised by cochineal to + $500. All, however, depends upon water, which is enormously dear. The + yelping curs have mostly bushy tails, like those which support the arms of + the Canary Islands. The grey and green finches represent our 'domestic + warbler' (<i>Fringilla canaria</i>), which reached England about 1500, + when a ship with a few birds on board had been wrecked off Elba. + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: The canary bird builds, on tall bushes rather than trees, a + nest of moss, roots, feathers and rubbish, where it lays from four to six + pale-blue eggs. It moults in August and September; pairs in February, and + sometimes hatches six times in a season. The natives declare that the wild + birds rarely survive the second year of captivity; yet they do not seem to + suffer from it, as they begin to sing at once when caged. Mr. Addison + describes the note as 'between that of the skylark and the nightingale,' + and was surprised to find that each flock has a different song—an + observation confirmed by the people and noted by Humboldt (p. 87).] + </p> + <p> + The country folk were habited in shirts, drawers derived from the Moors, + and tasseled caps of blue stuff, big enough for carpet-bags. The vine + still covered every possible slope of black soil, and the aloes, crowned + with flowers, seemed to lord it over the tamarisks, the hemlocks, and the + nightshades. + </p> + <p> + Upon this <i>monte</i>, or wooded height, most of the gentry have + country-houses, the climate being 12 degrees (Fahr.) cooler than by the + sea. La Brigida commands a fine view of the Isleta, with its black sand + and white foam, leek-green waters upon the reefs, and deep offing of + steely blue. + </p> + <p> + Leaving the carriage at the forking road, I mounted, after a bad descent, + a rough hill, and saw to the left the Pico de Bandana, a fine regular cone + 1,850 feet high. A group of a few houses, El Pueblo de la Caldera, leads + to the famous Cauldron, which Sir Charles Lyell visited by mistake for + that of Palma. Travellers compare it with the lakes of Nemi and Albano: I + found it tame after the cup of Fernando Po with its beautiful lining of + hanging woods. It has only the merit of regularity. The unbroken upper rim + measures about half a mile in diameter, and the lower funnel 3,000 feet in + circumference. The sides of <i>piedra pomez</i> (pumice) are lined and + ribbed with rows of scoriaceous rock as regular as amphitheatre-seats, + full 1,000 feet deep, and slope easily into a flat sole, which some are + said to have reached on horseback. A copious fountain, springing from the + once fiery inside, is collected below for the use of the farm-house, El + Fondo de la Caldera. The fields have the effect of a little Alpine tarn of + bright green. Here wild pigeons are sometimes caught at night, and rabbits + and partridges are or were not extinct. I ascended Bandana Peak to the + north-north-east, the <i>piton</i> of this long extinct volcano, and + enjoyed the prospect of the luxuriant vegetation, the turquoise sea, and + the golden sands about Maspalomas, the southernmost extremity of Grand + Canary. + </p> + <p> + Returning to the road-fork, I mounted a hill on the right hand and sighted + the Atalaya, another local lion. Here a perpendicular face of calcareous + rock fronts a deep valley, backed by a rounded hill, with the blue chine + of El Cumbre in the distance: this is the highest of the ridge, measuring + 8,500 feet. The wall is pierced, like the torrent-side of Mar Saba + (Jerusalem), with caves that shelter a troglodyte population numbering + some 2,000 souls. True to their Berber origin, they seek refuge in the + best of savage lodgings from heat, cold, and wind. The site rises some + 2,000 feet above sea-level, and the strong wester twists the trees. Grand + Canary preserves more of these settlements than Tenerife; they are found + in many parts of the island, and even close to the capital. Madeira, on + the other hand, affects them but little. We must not forget that they + still exist at St. Come, within two hours' rail of Paris, where my learned + and lamented friend Dr. Broca had a country-house. + </p> + <p> + Descending a rough, steep slope, I entered the upper tier of the + settlement, where the boxes were built up with whitewashed fronts. The + caves are mostly divided by matting into 'buts' and 'bens.' Heaps of pots, + antiquated in shape and somewhat like the Etruscan, showed the trade of + the place, and hillocks of potatoes the staff of life. The side-walls were + hollowed for shelves, and a few prints of the Virgin and other sacred + subjects formed the decoration. Settles and rude tables completed the list + of movables; and many had the huge bed affected by the Canarian cottager, + which must be ascended with a run and a jump. The predatory birds, gypsies + and others, flocked down from their nests, clamouring for <i>cuartitos</i> + and taking no refusal. + </p> + <p> + It occupies a week to ride round the island, whose circumference measures + about 120 miles. I contented myself with a last excursion to Doramas, + which then supplied meat, cheese, and grain to Tenerife. My guide was old + Antonio Martinez, who assured me that he was the 'most classical man' in + the island; and with two decent hill-ponies we struck to the north-west. + There is little to describe in the tour. The Cuesta Blanca showed us the + regular cones of Arúcas. Beyond Tenoya town I inspected a crateriform + ravine, and Monte Cardones boasted a honeycomb of caves like the Atalaya. + The fine rich <i>vega</i> of Arúcas, a long white settlement before whose + doors rose drying heaps of maize and black cochineal, was a pleasant, + smiling scene. All the country settlements are built pretty much upon the + same plan: each has its Campo Santo with white walls and high grey gate, + through which the coffin is escorted by Gaucho-like riders, who dismount + to enter. Doramas proved to be a fine <i>monte</i>, with tree-stumps, + especially chestnuts, somewhat surprising in a region of ferns and furze. + Near the little village of Friga I tasted an <i>agua agria</i>, a natural + sodawater, which the people hold to be of sovereign value for beast as + well as man. It increases digestion and makes happy mothers, like the + fountain of Villaflor on the Tenerifan 'Pike '-slope. I found it + resembling an <i>eau gazeuse</i> left in the open all night. We then + pushed on to Teror, famous for turkeys, traversed the high and forested + northern plateau, visited Galdar and Guia of the cheeses, and rode back by + Bañaderos Bay and the Cuesta da Silva, renowned in olden island story. + </p> + <p> + These three days gave me a fair general view of Grand Canary. The Cumbre, + or central plateau, whose apex is Los Pexos (6,400 feet), well wooded with + pines and Alpines, collects moisture in abundance. From this plateau <i>barrancos</i>, + or ravine-valleys, said to number 103, radiate quaquaversally. Their + bottoms, becoming more and more level as they near the sea, are enriched + by gushing founts, and are unrivalled for fertility, while the high and + stony intervening ridges are barren as Arabia Deserta. Even sun and rain + cannot fertilise the dividing walls of the rich and riant <i>vegas</i>. + Here, as at Madeira, and showing even a better likeness, the <i>tierra + caliente</i> is Egypt, the <i>mediania</i> (middle-heights) are Italy, and + the upper <i>mesetas</i>, the cloud-compelling table-lands, are the bleak + north of Europe plus a quasi-tropical sun. + </p> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> </a> + CHAPTER IX. — THE COCHINEAL—THE 'GALLO'—CANARY 'SACK'—ADIEU + TO THE CANARIES. + </h2> + <p> + I must not leave the Jezirát el-Bard (of Gold), or Jezirát el-Khálidát + (Happy Islands), without some notice of their peculiar institutions, the + cochineal, the <i>gallo</i>, and Canary 'sack.' + </p> + <p> + The nopal or tunal plant (<i>Opuntia Tuna</i> or <i>Cactus cochinellifera</i>) + is indigenous on these islands as well as on the mainland of Africa. But + the native growth is woody and lean-leaved; and its cooling fruit, which + we clumsily term a 'prickly pear' or 'fig,' is everywhere a favourite in + hot climates. There are now sundry claimants to the honour of having here + fathered the modern industry. Some say that in 1823 a retired intendant + introduced from Mexico the true <i>terciopelo</i>, or velvet-leaf, + together with the Mexican cochineal, the <i>coccus cacti</i> hemipter, + [Footnote: The male insect is winged for flight. The female never stirs + from the spot where she begins to feed: she lays her eggs, which are + innumerable and microscopic, and she leaves them in the membrane or + hardened envelope which she has secreted.] so called from the old Greek <i>KÓKKOS</i>, + a berry, or the neo-Greek <i>KOKKIVOS</i>, red, scarlet. It is certain + that Don Santiago de la Cruz brought both plant and 'bug' from Guatemala + or Honduras in 1835; and that an Englishman, who has advanced a right even + in writing, labours under a not uncommon hallucination. + </p> + <p> + But the early half of the present century was the palmy day of the vine. + The people resisted the cactus-innovation as the English labourer did the + introduction of machinery, and tore up the plants. Enough, however, + remained in the south of Tenerife for the hour of need. Travellers in + search of the picturesque still lament that the ugly stranger has ousted + the trellised vine and the wild, free myrtles. But public opinion changed + when fortunes were made by selling the insect. Greedy as the agriculturist + in general, the people would refuse the value of a full crop of potatoes + or maize if they suspected that the offerer intended to grow cochineal. No + dye was prepared on the islands, and the peasants looked upon it as a + manner of mystery. + </p> + <p> + The best <i>tuneras</i> (cochineal-plantations) lay in Grand Canary, where + they could be most watered. Wherever maize thrives, producing a good dark + leaf and grain in plenty, there cochineal also succeeds. The soil is + technically called <i>mina de tosca</i>, a whitish, pumice-like stone, + often forming a gravel conglomerate under a rocky stratum: hardening by + exposure, it is good for building. Immense labour is required to prepare + such ground for the cactus. The earth must be taken from below the + surface-rock, as at Malta; spread in terraced beds, and cleared of loose + stones, which are built up in walls or in <i>molleras</i>, cubes or + pyramids. Such ground sold for $150 per acre; $600 were paid for + mètre-deep soil unencumbered by stone. Where the chalk predominates, it + must be mixed with the volcanic sand locally called <i>zahorra</i>. In all + cases the nopals are set at distances of half a yard, in trenches at least + three feet deep. The 'streets,' or intervals, must measure nearly two + yards, so that water may flow freely and sunshine may not be arrested. + Good ground, if irrigated in winter and kept clear of weeds by the <i>haçada</i> + (hoe), produces a cactus capable of being 'seeded' after the second year; + if poor, a third is required. The plant lasts, with manure to defend it + from exhaustion, a full decade. [Footnote: The compost was formerly + natural, dry or liquid as in Switzerland; but for some years the costly + guano and chemicals have been introduced. Formerly also potatoes were set + between the stems; and well-watered lands gave an annual grain-crop as + well as a green crop.] + </p> + <p> + I now translate the memoir sent in MS. to me by my kind friend Dundas. It + is the work of Don Abel de Aguilar, Consul Impérial de Russie, a + considerable producer of the 'bug.' + </p> + <p> + The <i>semillado</i>, or cochineal-sowing, is divided into three <i>cosechas</i> + (crops), according to the several localities in the islands. + </p> + <p> + The <i>abuelas</i> (grandmothers) are those planted in October-November. + Their seed gives a new growth set in February-March, and called <i>madres</i> + (mothers). Thirdly, those planted in June-July, gathered in + September-October, and serving to begin with the <i>abuelas</i>, are + called <i>la cosecha</i> (the crop). The first and second may be planted + on the seaboard; the last is confined to the midlands and uplands, on + account of the heat and the hot winds, especially the souther and the + south-south-easter, which asphyxiate the insect. + </p> + <p> + And now of the <i>abuelas</i>, as cultivated in the maritime regions of + Santa Cruz, Tenerife. + </p> + <p> + Every cochineal-plantation must have a house with windows facing the + south, and freely admitting the light—an indispensable condition. + The <i>cuarto del semillado</i> (breeding-room) should be heated by stoves + to a regular temperature of 30°-32° (R.). At this season the proportion of + seed is calculated at 30 boxes of 40 lbs. each, or a total of 1,200 lbs. + per <i>fanega</i>, the latter being equivalent to a half-hectare. The + cochineal is placed in large wooden trays lined with cloth, and containing + about 15 lbs. of the recently gathered seed. When filled without crowding, + the trays are covered with squares of cotton-cloth (raw muslin), measuring + 12-16 inches. Usually the <i>fanega</i> requires 20-30 quintals (128 lbs., + or a cwt.), each costing $15 to $17. The newly born insects (<i>hijuelos</i>) + adhere to the cochineal-rags, and these are carried to the <i>tunera</i>, + in covered baskets. + </p> + <p> + The operation is repeated with fresh rags till the parturition is + completed. The last born, after 12-15 days, are the weakest. They are + known by their dark colour, the earlier seed being grey-white, like + cigar-ashes. The cochineal which has produced all its insects is known in + the markets as 'zacatillas.' It commanded higher prices, because the + watery parts had disappeared and only the colouring matter remained. Now + its value is that of the white or <i>cosecha</i>. + </p> + <p> + The cochineal-rags are then carried by women and girls to the <i>tunera</i>, + and are attached to the cactus-leaves by passing the cloths round them and + by pinning them on with the thorns. This operation, requires great care, + judgment, and experience. The good results of the crop depend upon the + judicious distribution of the 'bugs;' and error is easy when making + allowance for their loss by wind, rain, or change of temperature. The + insects walk over the whole leaf, and choose their places sheltered as + much as possible, although still covered by the rags. After 8-10 days they + insert the proboscis into the cactus, and never stir till gathered. At the + end of three and a half to four months they become 'grains of cochineal,' + not unlike wheat, but smaller, rounder, and thicker. The sign of maturity + is the appearance of new insects upon the leaf. The rags are taken off, as + they were put on, by women and girls, and the cochineal is swept into + baskets with brushes of palm-frond. As the <i>abuelas</i> grow in winter + there is great loss of life. For each pound sown the cultivator gets only + two to two and a half, innumerable insects being lost either in the house + or out of doors. + </p> + <p> + The crop thus gathered produces the <i>madres</i> (mothers): the latter + are sown in February-March, and are gathered in May-June. The only + difference of treatment is that the rags are removed when the weather is + safe and the free draught benefits the insects. The produce is greater—three + and a half to four pounds for one. + </p> + <p> + The <i>cosecha</i> of the <i>madres</i> produces most abundantly, on + account of the settled weather. The cochineal breeds better in the house, + where there is more light and a higher temperature. The result is that 8 + to 10 lbs. become 100. It is cheaper too: as a lesser proportion of rag is + wanted for the field, and it is kept on only till the insect adheres. Thus + a small quantity goes a long way. At this season there is no need of the + <i>cuarto</i>, and bags of pierced paper or of <i>rengue</i> (loose + gauze), measuring 10 inches long by 2 broad, are preferred. A spoonful of + grain, about 4 ounces, is put into each bag and is hung to the leaves: the + young ones crawl through the holes or meshes till the plant is + sufficiently populated. In hot weather they may be changed eight times a + day with great economy of labour. This is the most favourable form; the + insects go straight to the leaves, and it is easy to estimate the + proportions. + </p> + <p> + So far Don Abel. He concludes with saying that cochineal, which in other + days made the fortune of his native islands, will soon be completely + abandoned. Let us hope not. + </p> + <p> + The <i>cosecha</i>-insects, shell-like in form, grey-coloured, of light + weight, but all colouring matter, are either sold for breeding <i>abuelas</i> + or are placed upon trays and killed in stoves by a heat of 150°-160° + (Fahr.). The drying process is managed by reducing the temperature to + 140°. The time varies from twenty-four to forty-eight hours: when hurried + it injures the crop. Ninety full-grown insects weigh some forty-eight + grains, and there is a great reduction by drying; some 27,000 yield one + pound of the prepared cochineal. The shiny black cochineal, which looks + like small beetles, is produced by sun-drying, and by shaking the insect + in a linen bag or in a small 'merry-go-round,' so as to remove the white + powder. [Footnote: Mr. H. Vizetelly (p. 210) says that black metallic sand + is used to give it brilliancy.] The form, however, must be preserved. It + sells 6<i>d</i>. per lb. higher than the <i>cochinilla de plata</i>, or + silver cochineal. Lastly, the dried crop is packed in bags, covered with + mats, and is then ready for exportation. + </p> + <p> + The traffic began about 1835 with an export of only 1,275 lbs.; and + between 1850 and 1860 the lb. was worth at least ten francs. Admiral + Robinson [Footnote: <i>Sea-drift</i>, a volume published by subscription. + Pitman, London, 1852.] in 1852 makes the export one million of lbs. at one + dollar each, or a total of 250,000<i>l</i>. During the rage of the oïdium + the cultivation was profitable and raised the Canaries high in the scale + of material prosperity. In 1862 the islands exported 10,000 quintals, or + hundred-weights, the total value being still one million of dollars. In + 1877-78 the produce was contained in 20,000 to 25,000 bags, each averaging + 175 lbs., at a value of half a crown per lb.: it was then stated that, + owing to the increased expense of irrigation and of guano or chemical + manures, nothing under two shillings would repay the cultivator. In + 1878-79 the total export amounted to 5,045,007 lbs. In 1879-80 this figure + had fallen off to 4,036,871 lbs., a decrease of 5,482 bags, or 1,008,136 + lbs.; moreover the prices, which had been forced up by speculation, + declined from 2<i>s</i>. 6<i>d</i>.-3<i>s</i>. 4<i>d</i>. to 1<i>s</i>. 8<i>d</i>. + and 1<i>s</i>. 10<i>d</i>. [Footnote: These figures are taken from the + able Consular Report of Mr. Consul Dundas, printed in Part viii., 1881.] + When I last visited Las Palmas (April 1880), cochineal, under the + influence of <i>magenta</i> and <i>mineral</i> dyes, was selling at 1<i>s</i>. + 4<i>d</i>. instead of one to two dollars. + </p> + <p> + It is to be feared that the palmy days of cochineal are over, and that its + chief office, besides staining liqueurs and tooth-powders, will be to keep + down the price of the chemicals. With regret I see this handsome and + harmless colour being gradually superseded by the economical anilines, + whose poisonous properties have not yet been fully recognised by the + public. The change is a pregnant commentary upon the good and homely old + English saying, 'Cheap and nasty.' + </p> + <p> + The fall of cochineal throughout the Canaries brought many successors into + the field, but none can boast of great success. Silk, woven and spun, was + tried; unfortunately, the worms were fed on <i>tartago</i> (a <i>ricinus</i>), + instead of the plentiful red and white mulberries. The harvest was + abundant, but not admired by manufacturers. In fact, the moderns have + failed where their predecessors treated the stuff so well that Levantines + imported silks to resell them in Italy. Formerly Tenerife contained a + manufactory whose lasting and brilliant produce was highly appreciated in + Spain as in Havana. At Palma crimson waist-sashes used to sell for an + ounce of gold. + </p> + <p> + Tobacco-growing was patronised by Government in 1878, probably with the + view of mixing it in their monopoly-manufactories with the growths of Cuba + and Manilla. But on this favour being withdrawn the next year's harvest + fell to one-fourth (354,640 lbs. to 36,978). The best sites were in Hierro + (Ferro) and Adejo, in the south of Tenerife. The chief obstacles to + success are imperfect cultivation, the expense of skilled labour, and + deficiency of water to irrigate the deep black soil. Both Virginia and + Havana leaves were grown, and good brands sold from eight to sixteen + dollars per 100 lbs. The customers in order of quantity are Germany, + England, France, South America, and the West Coast of Africa, where the + cigars are now common. One brand (Republicanos) is so good that I should + not wish to smoke better. At home they sell for twelve dollars per 1,000; + a price which rises, I am told, in England to one shilling each. They are + to be procured through Messieurs Davidson, of Santa Cruz. + </p> + <p> + The Canarians now talk of sugar-growing; but the cane will inevitably fare + worse for want of water than either silk or tobacco. + </p> + <p> + Next to cochineal in the Canary Islands, especially in Tenerife, ranks the + <i>gallo</i>, or fighting-cock. Cockfighting' amongst ourselves is + redolent of foul tobacco, bad beer, and ruffianism in low places. This is + not the case in Spain and her colonies, where the classical sport of + Greece and Rome still holds its ground. I have pleasant reminiscences of + the good <i>Padre</i> in the Argentine Republic who after mass repaired + regularly to the pit, wearing his huge canoe-like hat and carrying under + his arm a well-bred bird instead of a breviary. Here too I was told that + the famous Derby breed of the twelfth Earl had extended in past times + throughout the length and breadth of the land; and the next visit to + Knowsley convinced me that the legend was based on fact. As regards + cruelty, all popular sports, fox-hunting and pigeon-shooting, are cruel. + Grallus, however, has gained since the days of Cock-Mondays and + Cock-Fridays, when he was staked down to be killed by 'cock-sticks' or was + whipped to his death by blindfolded carters. He leads the life of a friar; + he is tended carefully as any babe; he is permitted to indulge his + pugnacity, which it would be harsh to restrain, and at worst he dies + fighting like a gentleman. A Tenerifan would shudder at the horror of our + fashionable sport, where ruffians gouge or blind the pigeon with a pin, + squeeze it to torture, wrench out its tail, and thrust the upper through + the lower mandible. + </p> + <p> + The bird in Tenerife surpasses those of the other Canary Islands, and more + than once has carried off the prizes at Seville. A moderately well-bred + specimen may be bought for two dollars, but first-rate cocks belonging to + private fanciers have no price. + </p> + <p> + Many proprietors, as at Hyderabad, in the Dakhan, will not part with even + the eggs. The shape of the Canarian bird is rather that of a pheasant than + a 'rooster.' The coat varies; it is black and red with yellow shanks, + black and yellow, white and gold, and a grey, hen-like colour, our + 'duck-wing,' locally called <i>gallinho</i>. Here, as in many other + places, the 'white feather' is no sign of bad blood. The toilet is + peculiar. Comb and wattles are 'dubbed' (clean shaven), and the + circumvental region is depilated or clipped with scissors, leaving only + the long tail-feathers springing from a naked surface. The skin is daily + rubbed, after negro fashion, with lemon-juice, inducing a fiery red hue: + this is done for cleanliness, and is supposed also to harden the cuticle. + Altogether the appearance is coquet, sportsmanlike, and decidedly + appropriate. + </p> + <p> + The game-chicks are sent to the country, like town-born babes in France or + the sons of Arabian cities to the Bedawin's black tents. The cockerel + begins fighting in his second, and is not a 'stale bird' till his fifth or + sixth, year. In early spring aspirants to the honours of the arena are + brought to the towns for education and for training, which lasts some six + weeks. I was invited to visit a walk belonging to a wealthy proprietor at + Orotava, who obligingly answered all my questions. Some fifty birds + occupied the largest room of a deserted barrack, which proclaimed its + later use at the distance of half a mile. The gladiators were disposed in + four long, parallel rows of cages, open cane-work, measuring three feet + square. Each had a short wooden trestle placed outside during the day and + serving by night as a perch. They were fed and watered at 2 P.M. The + fattening maize was first given, and then wheat, with an occasional cram + of bread-crumb and water by way of physic. The <i>masálá</i> and + multifarious spices of the Hindostani trainer are here ignored. + </p> + <p> + The birds are not allowed, as in India, to become so fierce that they + attack men: this is supposed to render them too hot and headstrong in + combat. Every third day there is a <i>Pecha</i>, or spurring-match, which + proves the likeliest lot. The pit for exercise is a matted circle about 6 + feet in diameter. A well-hodded bird is placed in it, and the assistant + holds up a second, waving it to and fro and provoking No. 1 to take his + exercise by springing to the attack. The Indian style of galloping the + cock by showing a hen at either end of the walk is looked upon with + disfavour, because the sight of the sex is supposed to cause disease + during high condition. The elaborate Eastern shampooing for hours has + apparently never been heard of. After ten minutes' hard running and + springing the bird is sponged with Jamaica rum and water, to prevent + chafing; the lotion is applied to the head and hind quarters, to the + tender and dangerous parts under the wings, and especially to the + leg-joints. The lower mandible is then held firmly between the left thumb + and forefinger, and a few drops are poured into the beak. Every alternate + day the cage is placed on loose ground in sun and wind; and once a week + there is a longer sparring-bout with thick leather hods, or spur-pads. + </p> + <p> + Cock-fighting takes place once a year, when the birds are in fittest + feather; it begins on Easter Sunday and ends with the following Wednesday. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + The bird that warned Peter of his fall +</pre> + <p> + has then, if victorious, a pleasant, easy twelve months of life before + him. He has won many a gold ounce for his owner: I have heard of a man + pouching 400<i>l</i>. in a contest between Orotava and La Laguna, which + has a well-merited celebrity for these exhibitions. The Canarians ignore + all such refinements as rounds or Welsh mains; the birds are fairly + matched in pairs. <i>Navajas</i>, or spurs, either of silver or steel, are + unused, if not unknown. The natural weapon is sharpened to a needle-like + point, and then blood and condition win. The cock-pit, somewhat larger + than the training-pit, is in the Casa de la Galera; there is a ring for + betters, and the spectators are ranged on upper seats. + </p> + <p> + Lastly of the wine Canary, now unknown to the English market, where it had + a local habitation and a name as early as madeira and sherry, all claiming + 'Shakespearean recognition.' The Elizabethans constantly allude to cups of + cool Canary, and Mr. Vizetelly quotes Howell's 'Familiar Letters,' wherein + he applies to this far-famed sack the dictum 'Good wine sendeth a man to + heaven.' But I cannot agree with the learned oenologist, or with the + 'tradition of Tenerife,' when told that 'the original canary was a sweet + and not a dry wine, as those who derive "sack" from the French word "sec" + would have us believe.' 'Sherris sack' (<i>jerez seco</i>) was a harsh, + dry wine, which was sugared as we sweeten tea. Hence Poins addresses + Falstaff as 'Sir John Sack and Sugar;' and the latter remarks, 'If sack + and sugar be a fault, God help the wicked!' And the island probably had + two growths—the saccharine <i>Malvasia</i>, [Footnote: As we find in + Leake (p. 197 <i>Researches in Greece</i>) and Henderson (<i>History of + Wines</i>) 'Malvasia' is an Italian corruption of 'Monemvasia' ([Greek: <i>monae + embasia</i>]—a single entrance), the neo-Greek name for the Minoa + promontory or island connected by a bridge with the Laconian Coast. Hence + the French Malvoisie and our Malmsey. Prof. Azevedo (<i>loc. cit.</i>) + opines that the date of the wine's introduction disproves the legend of + that 'maudlin Clarence in his Malmsey butt.'] whose black grape was almost + a raisin, and a harsh produce like that of the modern <i>Gual</i>, with + great volume and alcoholic strength, but requiring time to make it + palatable. + </p> + <p> + The Canaries mostly grew white wines; that is, the liquors were fermented + without skins and stalks. Thus they did not contain all the constituents + of the fruit, and they were inferior in remedial and restorative virtues + to red wines. Indeed, a modern authority tells us that none but the latter + deserve the name, and that white wines are rather grape-ciders than real + wines. + </p> + <p> + The best Tenerife brands were produced on the northern slopes from Sauzal + and La Victoria to Garachico and Ycod de los Vinos. The latter, famed for + its malmsey, has lost its vines and kept its name. The cultivation + extended some 1,500 feet above the sea, and the plant was treated after + the fashion of Madeira and Carniola (S. Austria). The <i>latadas</i>, or + trellises, varied in height, some being so low that the peasant had to + creep under them. All, however, had the same defect: the fruit got the + shade and the leaves the sun, unless trimmed away by the cultivator, who + was unwilling to remove these lungs in too great quantities. The French + style, the pruned plant supported by a stake, was used only for the old + and worn-out, and none dreamt of the galvanised wires along which Mr. + Leacock, of Funchal, trains his vines. In Grand Canary I have seen the + grape-plant thrown over swathes of black stone, like those which, bare of + fruit, stretch for miles across the fertile wastes of the Syrian Haurán. + By heat and evaporation the grapes become raisins; and, as in Dalmatia, + one pipe required as much fruit as sufficed for three or four of ordinary. + </p> + <p> + The favourite of the Canaries is, or was, the <i>vidonia</i>, a juicy + berry, mostly white, seldom black: the same is the case with the + muscadels. The <i>Malvasia</i> is rarely cultivated, as it suffered + inordinately from the vine-disease. The valuable <i>Verdelho</i>, + preferred at Madeira, is, or was, a favourite; and there are, or were, + half a dozen others. The <i>vendange</i> usually began in the lowlands + about the end of August, and in the uplands a fortnight or three weeks + later. The grape was carried in large baskets by men, women, and children, + to the <i>lagar</i>, or wooden press, and was there trodden down, as in + Madeira, Austria, and Italy. The Canarians, like other neo-Latins an + unmechanical race, care little for economising labour. The vinification + resembled that of the Isle of Wood, with one important exception—the + stove. This artificial heating to hasten maturity seems to have been soon + abandoned. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Vizetelly is of opinion that the pure juice was apt to grow harsh, or + become ropy, with age. They remedied the former defect by adding a little + <i>gloria</i>, a thin, sweet wine kept in store from the preceding <i>vendange</i>; + this was done in April or in May, when the vintage was received at + headquarters. Ropiness was cured by repeated rackings and by brandying, + eight gallons per pipe being the normal ratio. That distinguished + connoisseur found in an old malmsey of 1859 all the aroma and lusciousness + of a good liqueur; the 'London particular' of 1865 tasted remarkably soft, + with a superior nose; an 1871-72, made for the Russian market, had an oily + richness with a considerable aroma; an 1872 was mellow and aromatic, and + an 1875 had a good vinous flavour. + </p> + <p> + 'Canary' possessed its own especial charác-ter, as Jonathan says. If it + developed none of the highest qualities of its successful rivals, it + became, after eight to twelve years' keeping, a tolerable wine, which many + in England have drunk, paying for good madeira. The shorter period + sufficed to mature it, and it was usually shipped when three to four years + old. It kept to advantage in wood for a quarter of a century, and in + bottle it improved faster. My belief is that the properest use of Tenerife + was to 'lengthen out' the finer growths. I found Canary bearing the same + relation to madeira as marsala bears to sherry: the best specimens almost + equalled the second- or third-rate madeiras. Moreover, these wines are + even more heady and spirituous than those of the northern island; and + there will be greater difficulty in converting them to the category <i>vino + de pasto</i>, a light dinner-wine. + </p> + <p> + Before 1810 Tenerife exported her wines not from Santa Cruz, but from + Orotava, the centre of commerce. Here, since the days of Charles II., + there was an English Factory with thirty to forty British subjects, + Protestants, under the protection of the Captain-General; and their + cemetery lay at the west end of El Puerto, whose palmy days were in + 1812-15. The trade was then transferred to the modern capital, where there + are, and have been for years, only two English wine-shipping firms, + Messieurs Hamilton and Messieurs Davidson. The seniors of both families + have all passed away; but their sons and grandsons still inhabit the + picturesque old houses on the 'Marina.' In 1812-15 the annual export of + wine was 8,000 to 11,000 pipes. The Peace of 1815 was a severe blow to the + trade. Between 1830 and 1840, however, the vintage of the seven chief + islands averaged upwards of 46,000; of these Tenerife supplied between + 4,000 and 5,000, equivalent to the total produce since the days of the + oïdium. In 1852 Admiral Robinson reduced the number of pipes to 20,000, + worth 200,000<i>l</i>. In 1860-65 I saw the grape in a piteous plight: the + huge bunches were composed of dwarfed and wilted berries, furred and + cobwebbed with the foul mycelium. The produce fell to 100-150 pipes, and + at present only some 200 to 300 are exported. The Peninsula and the West + African coast take the bulk; England and Germany ranking next, and lastly + Spain, which used the import largely in making-up wines. The islanders now + mostly drink the harsh, coarse Catalonians; they still, however, make for + home consumption a cheap white wine, which improves with age. It is + regretable that fears of the oïdium and the phylloxera prevent the revival + of the industry, for which the Islands are admirably fitted. Potatoes and + other produce have also suffered; but that is no obstacle to their being + replanted. + </p> + <p> + I left Santa Cruz and Las Palmas, after two short visits, with the + conviction that both are on the highway of progress, and much edified by + their contrast with Funchal. The difference is that of a free port and a + closed port. In the former there is commercial, industrial, and literary + activity: Las Palmas can support two museums. In the latter there is + neither this, that, nor the other. Madeira also suffers from repressed + emigration. The Canaries wisely allow their sons to make gold ounces + abroad for spending at home. + </p> + <p> + Spain also, a few years ago so backward in the race, is fast regaining her + place amongst the nations. She is now reaping the benefit of her truly + liberal (not Liberal) policy. Such were the abolition of the <i>morgado</i> + (primogeniture) in 1834, the closing of the 1,800 convents in 1836-37, and + the <i>disamortizacion</i>, or suppression of Church property and granting + liberty of belief, in 1855. Finally, the vigour infused by a short—which + will lead to a longer—trial of democracy and of republican + institutions have given her a new life. She is no longer the Gallio of the + Western world. + </p> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> </a> + CHAPTER X. — THE RUINED RIVER-PORT AND THE TATTERED FLAG. + </h2> + <p> + On the night of January 10 we steamed out of Las Palmas to cover the long + line of 940 miles between Grand Canary and Bathurst. The A. S. S. + generously abandons the monopoly of the Gambia to its rival, the B. and + A., receiving in exchange the poor profits of the Isles de Los. + Consequently the old Company's ships, when homeward-bound, run directly + from Sierra Leone to Grand Canary, a week's work of 1,430 knots. + </p> + <p> + Hardly had we lost sight of the brown and barren island and Las Palmas in + her magpie suit, than we ran out of the Brisa Parda, or grey north-east + Trade, into calm and cool Harmatan [Footnote: The word is of disputed + origin. <i>Ahalabata</i>, or <i>ahalalata</i>, on the Gold Coast is a + foreign term denoting the dry norther or north-easter that blows from + January to March or April (Zimmerman). Christalier makes <i>haramata</i>, + 'Spanish <i>harmatan</i>, an Arabic word.'] weather. We begrudged the + voyage this lovely season, which should have been kept for the journey. + After the damp warmth of Madeira the still and windless air felt dry, but + not too dry; cold, but not too cold; decidedly fresh in early morning, and + never warm except at 3 P.M. The sun was pale and shorn, as in England, + seldom showing a fiery face before 10 A.M. or after 5 P.M. The sea at + night appeared slightly milky, like the white waters so often seen off the + western coast of India. Every traveller describes the Harmatan, and most + travellers transcribe the errors touching the infusoria and their coats + which Ehrenberg found at sea in the impalpable powder near the Cape Verde + islands. The dry cold blast is purely local, not cosmical. There is a fine + reddish-yellow sand in the lower air-strata; we see it, we feel it, and we + know that it comes from the desert-tracts of northern Africa. The air + rises <i>en masse</i> from the Great Sahara; the vacuum is speedily filled + by the heavier and cooler indraught from the north or south, and the + higher strata form the upper current flowing from the Equator to the + Poles. But 'siliceous dust' will not wholly account for the veiling of the + sun and the opaqueness of the higher atmosphere. This arises simply from + the want of humidity; the air is denser, and there is no vapour to refract + and reflect the light-rays. Hence the haze which even in England appears + to overhang the landscape when there is unusually droughty weather; and + hence, conversely, as all know, the view is clearest before and after + heavy showers, when the atmosphere is saturated or supersaturated. + </p> + <p> + On my return in early April we caught the northeast Trades shortly after + turning Cape Palmas, and kept them till close upon Grand Canary. They were + a complete contrast with the Harmatan, the firmament looking exceptionally + high, and the sun shining hot, while a crisp, steady gale made the 'herds + of Proteus' gambol and disport themselves over the long ridges thrown up + by the cool plain of bright cerulean. The horizon, when clear, had a + pinkish hue, and near coast and islands puffy folds of dazzling white, + nearly 5,000 feet high, were based upon dark-grey streaks of cloudland + simulating continents and archipelagoes. Within the tropics the heavens + appear lower, and we never sight blue or purple water save after a + tornado. The normal colour is a dirty, brassy yellow-brown, here and there + transparent, but ever unsightly in the extreme. It must depend upon some + unexplained atmospheric conditions; and the water-aspect is often at its + ugliest when the skies are clearest. I have often seen the same tints when + approaching Liverpool. + </p> + <p> + Through the Harmatan-haze we failed to sight Cape Juby, opposite + Fuerteventura; and at Santa Cruz I missed Mr. Mackenzie, the energetic + flooder of the Sahará. He has, they say, given up this impossibility and + opened a <i>comptoir</i>: its presence is very unpleasant to the French + monopolists, who seem to 'monopole' more every year. South of Juby comes + historic Cape Bojador, the 'Gorbellied,' and Cabo Blanco, which is to + northern what Cabo Negro is to southern Africa. The sole remarkable events + in its life are, firstly, its being named by Ptolemy Granaria Extrema, + whence the Canarii peoples south-west of the Moroccan Atlas and our + corrupted 'Canaries;' and, secondly, its rediscovery by one Gonçalez + Baldeza in 1440. + </p> + <p> + On the afternoon of Saturday (January 14) we sighted in the offing the two + paps of Ovedec, or Cabo Verde, the Hesperou Keras, the Hesperium or + Arsenarium Promontorium of Pliny, the <i>trouvaille</i> of Diniz Fernandez + in 1446. The name is <i>sub judice</i>. Some would derive it from the + grassy green slope clad with baobabs (<i>Adansonia digitata</i>), + megatherium-like monsters, topping the precipitous sea-wall which falls + upon patches of yellow sand. Others would borrow it from the <i>Sargasso + (baccifera), Golfão</i>, or Gulf-weed, which here becomes a notable + feature. Cape Verde, the Prasum Promontorium of West Africa, is the + 'Trafalgar,' the westernmost projection, of the Dark Continent 'fiery yet + gloomy;' measuring 17° 3' from the meridian of Greenwich. The coast is + exceedingly dangerous; consequently shipwrecks are rare. The owners, as + their national wont is, have done their best to make it safe. Two + lighthouses to the north of the true Cape mark and define a long shoal + with a heavy break, the Almadies rocks, a ledge mostly sunk, but here and + there rising above the foam in wicked-looking <i>diabolitos</i> + (devilings), or black fangs, of which the largest is die-shaped. A third + pharos, also brilliantly whitewashed, crowns the Cape, and by its side is + a lower sea-facing building, the sanatorium; finally, there is a light at + the mole-end of Dakar. + </p> + <p> + Steaming past the Madeleine rocks, here and there capped with green and + whitened by sea-fowl, we sight, through an opening in the curtain of + coast, the red citadel and the subject town of Goree, the Gibraltar of + western Africa, and the harbour of St. Louis, capital of Senegambia. The + island is now the only port, the headquarters having suffered from the + sand-bar at the mouth of the Senegal. Here our quondam rivals have made + the splendid harbour of Dakar, whose jetties accommodate 180,000 tons of + shipping at the same time. This powerful and warlike colony, distant only + twelve hours' steaming from Bathurst, has her fleet of steamers for river + navigation; her Tirailleurs du Sénégal, and her large force of fighting + native troops. Fortified stations defend the course of the river, even + above the falls, from the hostile and treacherous Moors. The subject and + protected territories exceed Algeria in extent, and the position will link + the French possessions in the Mediterranean with the rich mineral lands + proposed for conquest in the south. + </p> + <p> + We English hug to ourselves the idea that the French are bad colonists: if + so, France, like China and India, is improving at a pace which promises + trouble. Algeria, Senegambia, and Siam should considerably modify the old + judgment. Our neighbours have, and honestly own to, two grand faults—an + excessive bureaucracy and a military, or rather a martinet, discipline, + which interferes with civil life and which governs too much. On the other + side England rules too little. She is at present between the two + proverbial stools. She has lost the norm of honour, Aristocracy; and she + has lost it for ever. But she has not yet acquired the full strength of + democracy. This is part secret of that disorganisation which is causing + such wonder upon the continent of Europe. Moreover, Colonial England has + caught the disease of non-interference and the infection of economy, the + spawn of Liberalism; while her savings, made by starving her + establishments, are of the category popularly described as penny-wise and + pound-foolish. France has adopted the contrary policy. She spends her + money freely in making ports and roads and in opening communication + through adjacent countries. She lately sent a cruiser to Madeira, + proposing to connect Dakar by telegraph with the Cape Verde islands. She + is assiduous in forming friendly, or rather peaceable, relations with the + people. She begins on the right principle by officering her colonies with + her best men, naval and military. In England anyone is good enough for + West Africa. She impresses the natives, before beginning to treat, by an + overwhelming display of force; and, if necessary, by hard knocks. She + educates the children of the chiefs, and compels all her lieges, under a + penalty, to learn, and if possible to speak, French. So far from + practising non-interference, she allows no one to fight but herself. This + imperious, warlike, imperial attitude is what Africa wants. It reverses + our Quaker-like 'fad' for peace. We allow native wars to rage <i>ad + libitum</i> even at Porto Loko, almost within cannon-shot of Sierra Leone. + On the Gambia River the natives have sneeringly declared that they will + submit to the French, who are men, but not to us, who are ———. + Later still, the chiefs of Futa-Jalon went, not to London, but to Paris. + </p> + <p> + In 1854 France commenced a new and systematic course of colonial policy. + She first beat the Pulos (Fulahs), once so bold, and then she organised + and gave flags to them. She checked, with a strong hand, the attacks of + the Moors upon the gum-gatherers of the Sahará. And now, after drawing + away from us the Gambia trade, she has begun a railway intended to connect + the Senegal with the Niger and completely to outflank us. This line will + annex the native regions behind our settlements, and make Bathurst and + Sierra Leone insignificant dependencies upon the continent of Gallic rule. + The total distance is at least 820 miles, and the whole will be guarded by + a line of forts. It begins with a section of 260 kilometres, which will + transport valuable goods now injured by ass and camel-carriage. The + natives, wearied with incessant petty wars, are ready to welcome the new + comers. The western Súdán, or Niger-basin, has a population estimated at + forty millions, ready, if a market be opened, to flock to it with + agricultural and industrial products, including iron, copper, and gold. + Meanwhile the Joliba (Black Water), with the Benuwe and other tributaries, + offers a ready-made waterway for thousands of miles. Sierra Leone lies + only 400 miles, less than half, from the Niger; but what would the + Colonial Office say if a similar military line were proposed? Nor can we + console ourselves by the feeble excuse that Senegal has a climate superior + to that of our 'pest-houses.' On the contrary, she suffers severely from + yellow fever, which has never yet visited the British Gold Coast. Her + mortality is excessive, but she simply replaces her slain. She has none of + that mawkish, hysterical humanitarianism which of late years has become a + salient feature in our campaigning. During the Ashanti affair the main + object seems to have been, not the destruction of the enemy, but to save + as many privates as possible from ague and fever, sunstroke and dysentery. + </p> + <p> + Ninety miles beyond Cape Verde placed us in the Gambia waters, off the + lands of the Guinea region. I will not again attempt a history of the + disputed word which Barbot derives from Ginahoa, the first negro region + visited by the Portuguese; others from Ghana, the modern Kano; from the + Jenneh or Jinne of Mungo Park; from Jenna, a coast-town once of note, + governed by an officer under the 'King' of Gambia-land, and, in fine, from + the Italian Genoa. + </p> + <p> + The s.s. <i>Senegal</i> spent the night of the 14th on the soft and + slippery mud, awaiting the dawn. What can the Hydrographic Department of + the Admiralty be doing? What is the use of the three cruisers that still + represent the old 'Coffin Squadron'? This coast has not had a survey since + 1830, yet it changes more or less every year, and half a century makes + every map and plan obsolete. But perhaps it would be wrong to risk + seamen's lives by exposure in open boats to 'insolation,' showers, and + surf. + </p> + <p> + From sunrise the sea had changed its Harmatan-grey for a dull, muddy, + dirty green; and the leadsman, who is now too civilised to 'sing out' in + the good old style, calmly announced that the channel was shallowing. + 'Gambia,' or 'Gambi,' the Gamboa and Gambic of Barbot (Chapter VII.), is + said to mean clear water, here a perfect misnomer; it is miry as the + Mersey. The 'molten gold of the Gambia River' is only the fine phrase of + some poetic traveller. Low land loomed on both sides, with rooty and + tufted mangroves, apparently based upon the waves, showing that we + approached an estuary, which soon narrowed from thirty miles to seven and + to two. Three buoys, the outermost red, then the 'fairway' with chequers + and cage, and lastly white without cage, all at a considerable distance + off the land, marked the river-bar, and presently a black pilot came on + board from his cutter. We made some easting running along shore, and gave + a wide berth to the Horseshoe Bank and St. Mary's shoal portwards, to + African Knoll and Middle Ground starboardwards, and to a crowd of other + pleasant patches, where the water was dancing a breakdown in the liveliest + way. + </p> + <p> + As we drew in shore the now burning sun shone with a sickly African heat + through the scirocco-clouds and the thick yellow swamp-reek. 'It will be + worse when we land,' said the normal Job's comforter. Six knots to + starboard, (west), on high and healthy Cape St. Mary, rose a whitewashed + building from a dwarf red cliff. To port on the river's proper right bank + (east) lay Fort Bullen, an outpost upon a land-tongue, dead-green as + paint, embosomed in tall bentangs, or bombax-trees (<i>Pullom Ceiba</i>). + This 'silk-cotton-tree' differs greatly in shape from its congener in + Eastern Africa. The bole bears sharp, broad-based thorns; the wings or + flying buttresses are larger; several trunks rarely anastomose; the + branches seldom stand out horizontally, nor are the leaves disposed in + distinct festoons. It is, however, a noble growth, useful for shade and + supplying a soft wood for canoes and stuffing for pillows. Fort Bullen, + about one hour's row from Bathurst, formerly lodged a garrison of + seventeen men under the 'Commandant and Governor of the Queen's + Possessions in the Barra Country.' Now the unwholesome site has been + abandoned. + </p> + <p> + The island and station of St. Mary, Bathurst, of old a graveyard, now + start up to starboard. The site was chosen apparently for its superior + development of mud and mangrove, miasma and malaria. It is an island + within an island. St. Mary the Greater is the northernmost of that mass of + riverine holms and continental islands which, formed by the Cachéo and + other great drains, extends south to the Rio Grande. Measuring some twenty + miles from north to south, by six from east to west, it is embraced by the + two arms of the Gambia delta, and is marked in old maps as the Combo, + Forni, and Felúp country. St. Mary the Less, upon which stands the + settlement facing east, is bounded eastward by the main mouth and westward + by Oyster Creek, a lagoon-like branch: it is a mere sand-patch of + twenty-one square miles, clothed by potent heats and flooding rains with a + vivid and violent vegetation. Water is found everywhere three feet below + the surface, but it is bad and brackish. There is hardly any versant or + shed; in places the land sinks below the water-level; and, despite the + excellent brick sewers, the showers prefer to sop and sod the soil. And, + lest the island should be bodily carried away by man, there is a penalty + for removing even a pailful of sand from the beach. + </p> + <p> + Bathurst was unknown in the days of Mungo Park, when traders ran up stream + to Jilifri, nearly opposite Fort James, and to Pisania, the end of + river-navigation. St. Mary's Island, together with British Combo, Albreda, + and the land called the 'Ceded,' or 'English Mile,' were bought from the + Mandenga chief of the Combo province. First christened St. Leopold, and + then Bathurst, after the minister of that name, the actual town owes its + existence to an order issued by Sir Charles Macarthy. That ill-starred + Governor of Sierra Leone (1814-24) is still remembered in Ashanti and on + the Gold Coast: he is immortalised by a pestiferous island in the Upper + Gambia well described by Winwood Reade. The settlement, designed for the + use of liberated Africans, was built in 1816 by Lieutenant-Colonel + Brereton and by Captain Alexander Grant. In 1821 it was made, like the + Gold Coast, a dependency of Sierra Leone, whose jurisdiction, after the + African Company was abolished in 1820, + </p> + <p> + [Footnote: The first African Company was established by Queen Elizabeth, + and in 1688 was allowed to trade with Guinea. The Royal African Company, + or Guinea Company of Royal Adventurers of England trading to Africa, was + incorporated under Charles II. on January 20, 1663. A third was patented + on September 27, 1672. The 'African Company' (1722-24) was not allowed to + interfere with 'interlopers.' On May 7,1820, it was abolished, after + bankruptcy, and its possessions passed over to the Crown.] + </p> + <p> + extended from N. lat. 20° to S. lat. 20°. I found it an independent + government, one of four, in 1860 to 1865. In 1866 it again passed under + the rule of Sierra Leone; in 1874 this ill-advised measure was withdrawn, + and the Gambia was placed under an Administrator and a Legislative + Council, the former subject to the Governor-in-Chief of Sierra Leone. A + score of years ago it was garrisoned by some 300 men of the West African + Corps. Now it is reduced to 100 armed policemen: the Gambia militia, + composed of the Combo and Macarthy's Island forces, is never called out. + The population of the twenty-one square miles is given by Whittaker for + 1881 as 14,150, including 105 whites. The Wesleyans here, as everywhere, + preponderating on the Coast, number 1,405 souls; the Catholics 500, and + the Episcopalians 200. + </p> + <p> + Another half-hour placed before us Bathurst in full view. The first + salient point is the graveyard, where the station began and where the + stationed end. Wags declare that the first question is, 'Have you seen our + burial-ground?' A few tomb-stones, mostly without inscriptions, are + scattered so near the shore that corpses and coffins have been washed away + by the waves. If New Orleans be a normal 'wet grave,' this everywhere save + near the sea is dry with a witness, the depth and looseness of the sand + making the excavation a crumbling hole. Four governors, a list greatly to + be prolonged, 'lie here interred.' But matters of climate are becoming too + serious for over-attention to such places or subjects. + </p> + <p> + The first aspect of this pest-house from afar is not unpleasant. A long + line of scattered houses leads to the mass of the settlement, faced by its + Marine Parade, and the tall trees give it a home-look; some have compared + the site with 'parts of the park at Cheltenham.' At a nearer view the town + of some 5,000 head suggests the idea of a small European watering-place. + The execrable position has none of those undulations which make heaps of + men's homes picturesque; everything is low, flat, and straight-lined as a + yard of pump-water. The houses might be those of Byculla, Bombay; in fact, + they date from the same epoch. They are excellent of their kind, large + uncompact piles of masonry, glistening-white or dull-yellow, with + blistered paint, and slates, tiles, or shingles, which last curl up in the + sun like feathers. A nearer glance shows the house-walls stained and + gangrened with rot and mildew, the river-floods often shaking hands with + the rains in the ground-floors. The European ends in beehive native huts, + rising from the swamp and sand; and these gradually fine off and end + up-stream, becoming small by degrees and hideously less. + </p> + <p> + Bathurst has one compensating feature, the uncommon merit of an esplanade; + the noble line of silk-cotton trees separating houses from river is + apparently the only flourishing item. We remark that while some of these + giants are clad in their old leaves others are bright green with new + foliage, while others are bare and broomy as English woods in midwinter. + They are backed by a truly portentous vegetation of red and white + mangroves, palms, plantains, and baobabs, rank guinea-grass filling up + every gap with stalks and blades ten feet tall. + </p> + <p> + Nor was the scene in the river-harbour at all more lively. The old <i>Albert</i>, + of Nigerian fame, has returned to mother Earth; but we still note H.M.S. + <i>Dover</i>, a venerable caricature, with funnel long and thin, which + steams up stream when not impotent—her chronic condition. There are + two large Frenchmen loading ground-nuts, but ne'er an Englishman. The + foreshore is defaced by seven miserable wharves, shaky mangrove-piles, + black with age and white with oystershells, driven into the sand and + loosely planked over. There is an eighth, the gunpowder pier, on the north + face of the island; and we know by its dilapidation that it is Government + property. These stages are intended not for landing—oh, no!—but + only for loading ships; stairs are wanting, and passengers must be carried + ashore 'pick-a-back.' The labourers are mainly, if not wholly, 'Golah' + women of British Combo, whose mates live upon the proceeds of their + labours. To-day being Sunday, the juvenile piscators of Bathurst muster + strong upon the piers, and no policeman bids them move on. + </p> + <p> + When the mail-bags were ready, we received a visit from the black + health-officer, and we reflected severely on the exceeding 'cheek' of + inspecting, as a rule, new comers from old England at this yellow Home of + Pestilence. But in the healthy time of the year we rarely see the + listless, emaciated whites with skins stained by unoxygenised carbon, of + whom travellers tell. Despite the sun, all the Bathurstians save the + Government officials—now few, too few—flocked on board. + Mail-days are here, as in other places down-coast, high days and holidays. + But times are changed, and the ruined river-port can no longer afford the + old traditional hospitality. + </p> + <p> + Cameron and I landed under Brown's Wharf, the southernmost pier opposite + the red roof and the congeries of buildings belonging to the late + proprietor. We then walked up the High Street, or esplanade, which is open + to the river except where the shore is cumbered with boats, hides, lumber, + and beach-negroes. This is a kind of open-air market where men and women + sit in the shade, spinning, weaving, and selling fruits and vegetables + with one incessant flux of tongue. Here, too, amongst the heaps, and + intimately mixed with the naked infantry, stray small goats, pretty and + deer-shaped, and gaunt pigs, sharp-snouted and long-legged as the worst + Irisher. + </p> + <p> + Several thoroughfares, upper and lower, run parallel with the river; all + are connected, like a chess-board, by cross-lanes at right angles, and + their grass-grown centres are lined by open drains of masonry, now + bone-dry. The pavement is composed of stone and dust, which during the + rains becomes mud; the <i>trottoirs</i> are in some places of brick, in + others of asphalte, in others of cracked slabs. Mostly, however, we walk + on sand and gravel, which fills our boots with something harder than + unboiled peas. The multiplicity of useless walls, the tree-clumps, and the + green sward faintly suggested memories of a semi-deserted single-company + station in Western India; and the decayed, tumble-down look of all around + was a deadly-lively illustration of the Hebrew Ichabod. + </p> + <p> + I passed, with a sense of profound sadness, the old Commissariat quarters, + now degraded to a custom-house. The roomy, substantial edifice of stone + and lime, with large, open verandahs, here called piazzas, lofty + apartments, galleries, terraced roofs, and, in fact, everything an African + house should have, still stood there; but all shut up, as if the antique + <i>domus</i> were in mourning for the past. What Homeric feeds, what <i>noctes + coenoeque deorum</i>, we have had there in joyous past times! But now that + most hospitable of West-Coasters, Commissary Blanc, has been laid in the + sandy cemetery; and where, oh! where are the rest of the jovial crew, + Martin and Sherwood? I found only one relic of the bygone—and a + well-favoured relic he is—Mr. W. N. Corrie, with whom to exchange + condolences and to wail over the ruins. + </p> + <p> + Passing the post-office and the French, Spanish, Portuguese, and American + consulates, poor copies of the dear old Commissariat, we halted outside at + Mr. Goddard's, and obtained from Mr. R. E. Cole a copy of his lecture, + 'The River Gambia,' read at York, September 1881. It gave me pleasure to + find in it, 'The man that is wanted throughout the West Coast of Africa is + not the negro, but the Chinaman; and should he ever turn his steps in its + direction he will find an extensive and remunerating field for the + exercise of his industry and intelligence.' + </p> + <p> + We then turned our attention from the town to the townspeople. They have + not improved in demeanour during the last twenty years. Even then the + 'liberateds' and 'recaptives,' chiefly Akus and Ibos, had begun the 'high + jinks,' which we shall find at their highest in Sierra Leone. They had + organised 'Companies,' the worst of trade-unions, elected headmen, + indulged in strikes, and more than once had come into serious collision + with the military. The Mandengas, whom Mungo Park calls Mandingoes and + characterises as a 'wild, sociable, and obliging people,' soon waxed + turbulent and unruly. This is to be expected; a race of warriors must be + governed by the sword. They would prefer for themselves military law to + all the blessings of a constitution or a plébiscite. But philanthropy + wills otherwise, and in these days the English authorities do not keep up + that state whose show secures the respect of barbarians. Where the + Governor walks about escortless, like a private individual, he must expect + to be 'treated as such.' + </p> + <p> + There is no difficulty in distinguishing at first sight Moslem from Kafir. + Besides the gypsy-like Pulo, the 'brown race,' our older Fúlahs and + Fellalahs, whose tongue is said to be a congener of the Nubian; and the + wild, half-naked pagan Jolu, the principal tribes, are two, the Mandengas + and the Wólofs. The former, whom Europeans divide into the Marabút, who + does not drink, and the Soninki, who does, inhabit a triangle, its base + being the line from the south of the Senegal to the Gambia River, and its + apex the Niger; it has even extended to near Tin-Bukhtu (the Well of + Bukhtu), our Timbuctoo. In old Mohammedan works their territory is called + Wángara. This race of warmen and horsemen surprisingly resembles the + Somal, who hold the same parallels of latitude in Eastern Africa, as to + small heads, semi-Caucasian features, Asiatic above the nose-tip and + African below; tall lithe figures, high shoulders, and long limbs, + especially the forearm. + </p> + <p> + There is the usual Negro-land variety in the picturesque toilette; no two + men are habited alike. A Phrygian bonnet, Glengarry or Liberty-cap of + dark, indigo-dyed cotton, and sometimes a Kan-top or ear-calotte of India + and Hausa-land, surmount their clean-shaven heads. For this they + substitute, when travelling, 'country umbrellas,' thatches of plaited + palm-leaves in umbrella-shape; further down coast we shall find the + regular sun-hat of Madeira, with an addition of loose straw-ends which + would commend itself to Ophelia. The decent body-garb is a <i>kamís</i>, a + nightgown of long-cloth, and wide, short drawers; the whole is covered + with a sleeveless <i>abá</i>, or burnous, and sometimes with a + half-sleeved caftan—here termed 'tobe'—garnished with a huge + breast-pocket. It is generally indigo-stained, with marblings or + broad-narrow stripes of lighter tint than the groundwork. An essential + article, hung round the neck or slung to the body, is the grigri, <i>ta'awíz</i>, + or talisman, a Koranic verse or a magic diagram enclosed in a leathern + roll or in a flat square. Of these prophylactics, which answer to European + medals and similar fetish, a 'serious person' will wear dozens; and they + are held to be such 'strong medicine' that even pagans will barter or pay + for them. Blacksmiths, weavers, and spinners work out of doors. Contrary + to the general Moslem rule, these Mandengas honour workers in iron and + leather, and the king's blacksmith and cobbler are royal councillors. + </p> + <p> + Some of the motley crowd sit reading what the incurious stranger tells you + is 'the Alcoran;' they are perusing extracts and prayers written in the + square, semi-Cufic Maghrabi character, which would take a learned Meccan a + week to decipher. Others, polluted by a license which calls itself + liberty, squat gambling shamelessly with pegs stuck in the ground. Now and + then fighting-looking fellows ride past us, with the Arabic ring-bit and + the heavy Mandenga demi-pique. The nags are ponies some ten hands high, + ragged and angular, but hardy and sure-footed. As most of the equines in + this part of Africa, they are, when well fed, intensely vicious and + quarrelsome. Like the Syrians, they have only three paces, the walk, the + lazy loping canter, and the brisk hard gallop; the trot is a provisional + passage from slow to fast. Yet with all their shortcomings I should prefer + them to the stunted bastard barb, locally called an Arab and priced + between 20<i>l</i>. and 40<i>l</i>. The latter generally dies early from + chills and checked perspiration, which bring on 'loin-disease,' paralysis + of the hind-quarters, or from a fatal swelling of the stomach, the result + of bad forage. Most of the men carried knives, daggers, and crooked swords + in curious leather scabbards. This practice should never be permitted in + Africa. Natives entering a station should be compelled to leave their + weapons with the policeman at the nearest guard-house. + </p> + <p> + The Wólofs, a name formerly written Joloff, also dwell in Senegambia, + between the Senegal and the Gambia, and their habitat is divided into + sundry petty kingdoms. As early as 1446 they were known to the Portuguese, + and one Bemoy, of princely house, soon afterwards visited Lisbon, was + baptised, and did homage to D. João II. More like the Abyssinians than + their Mandenga neighbours, they are remarkable for good looks, pendent + ringlets, and tasteful dress and decorations. 'Black but comely,' with + long, oval faces, finely formed features, straight noses and glossy jetty + skins, in character they are brave and dignified, and they are distinctly + negroids, not negroes. This small maritime tribe, who make excellent + sailors, is interesting and civilisable; many have been Christianised, + especially by the Roman Catholic missioners. The only native tongue spoken + by European residents at Bathurst is the Wólof. As M. Dard remarks in his + 'Grammaire Wolof,' the [Footnote: He was Instituteur de l'École + Wolof-Française du Sénégal, and published in 1826. It is still said that + no one will speak Wolof like him, the result of the new <i>régíme</i> of + compulsory French instruction. I printed 226 of his proverbs in <i>Wit and + Wisdom from West Africa</i> (London, Tinsleys, 1865). It is curious to + compare them with those of the pagan negroes further south.] + </p> + <p> + language is widely spread: Mungo Park often uses expressions which he + deems Mandenga, but which belong to the 'Jews of West Africa,' as the + Wólofs are sometimes called, their extensive commercial dealings between + the coast and the western Sudan being the only point of likeness. For + instance, in the tale of 'poor Nealee' the cry 'Kang-tegi!' ('Cut her + throat!') is the Wólof 'Kung-akateke!' ('Let her head be cut off!'), and + 'Nealee affeeleeata!' ('Nealee is lost!') appears equally corrupted by + author or printer from 'Nealu afeyleata!' ('Nealee breathes no more!') + </p> + <p> + Pursuing our peregrinations, we reach No. 1 Fort, at the northern angle of + the town, north-eastern corner of the islet St. Mary the Less. This old + round battery is surmounted by three 32-pounders, <i>en barbette</i>, with + iron carriages and traversing platforms, but without racers: a single + 7-inch shell would smash the whole affair. Thence we bent westward and + passed the once neat 'Albert Market' with its metal roof, built in 1854-56 + by Governor Luke O'Connor and Isaac Bage. We did not enter; the place + swarms with both sexes in blue: African indigo yields a charming purple, + but one soon learns to prefer white clothing. Nor need I describe the + stuff exposed for sale: there will be a greater variety at Sierra Leone. + </p> + <p> + Passing the market we come upon the engineer's yard, which a hand-bill + sternly forbids us to enter. It contains a chapel, where the Rev. Mr. + Nicol officiates: this loose box is more hideous than anything I have yet + seen, a perfect study of architectural deformity. The cracked bell and the + nasal chant, at times rising to a howl as of anguish, were completely in + character. As the service ended issued a stream of worshippers, mostly + women, attired in costumes which will be noticed further on; most of them + led negrolings suggesting the dancing dog. Meanwhile the police, armed + only with side-arms, sword-bayonets, and looking more like Sierra Leone + convicts reformed and uniformed, followed a band composed of drums, + cymbals, and a haughty black sergeant, a mulatto noncommissioned, bringing + up the rear. They went round and round the barrack square, a vast space + occupied chiefly by grass and drains; in the back-ground is the large + jaundiced building upon whose clock-tower floated, or rather depended, the + flag of St. George. The white building by its side is the Colonial + Hospital: it has also seen 'better days.' + </p> + <p> + We resolved to call upon Mr. Administrator V. S. Goulsbury, M.D. and + C.M.G. He had lately been subjected to an attack, of course anonymous, in + the 'African Times;' an attack the more ungentlemanly and cowardly because + it reflected upon his private not public life; and consequently he could + neither notice it nor answer it, nor bring an action for libel. This + scandalous print, which has revived the old 'Satirist' in its most + infamous phase, habitually inserts any tissue of falsehoods suggested to + proceed from a 'native,' an 'African,' a 'negro,' and carefully writes + down to the lowest level of its readers. It attracts attention by the cant + of charity, and shows its devotion to 'the Bible, and nothing but the + Bible,' by proving that the earth, having 'four corners,' is flat, and + that the sun, which once 'stood still,' must move round its parasite. The + manner of this pestilence is right worthy of its matter, and the style + would be scouted in a decent housekeeper's room. All well-meaning men, of + either colony, declare that it has done more harm in West Africa than the + grossest abuse yet written. Its tactic is to set black against white, to + pander for the public love of scandal, and systematically to abuse all the + employés of Government. And the sole object of this vile politic, loudly + proclaimed to be philanthropic and negrophile, has been low lucre—in + fact, an attempt to butter its bread with 'black brother.' + </p> + <p> + We inspected the second or western fort, a similar battery of six + 32-pounders, with two 10-inch mortars, fit only to pound 'fúfú,' or + banana-paste; add a single brass field-piece, useful as a morning and + evening gun for this highly military station. Then we came to Government + House, apparently deserted, flying a frayed and tattered white and blue + flag, which might have been used on board H.M.S. <i>Dover</i>, but which + ought to have been supplanted on shore by a Union Jack. After waiting a + quarter of an hour, we managed, with the assistance of a sentinel, whose + feet were in slippers and whose artillery carbine was top-heavy with a + fixed sword-bayonet, to arouse a negro servant, by whom we sent in our + cards to H.E. the Administrator. An old traveller on the Gold Coast, and + lately returned from a long expedition into the interior, [Footnote: <i>Gambia: + Expedition to the Upper Gambia</i>. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1882.] + he had much to tell us. His knowledge of Ashanti-land, however, induced + him to place the Kong Mountains in that meridian too far north; he held + the distance from the seaboard to be at least 500 miles. But he quite + agreed with us about the necessity of importing Chinese coolies. Here no + free man works. The people say, 'When a slave gets his liberty he will + drink rainwater'—rather than draw it from a well. The chief cargo of + the S.S. <i>Senegal</i> was Chinese rice, when almost every acre of the + lower Gambia would produce a cereal superior in flavour and bolder in + grain. Hands, however, are wanting; and all the women are employed in + loading and unloading ships. + </p> + <p> + The Residency is a fine large building in an advanced stage of + decomposition; the glorious vegetation around it—cotton-trees, + caoutchouc-figs, and magnificent oleanders—making the pile look + grimmer and grislier. And here we realised, to the fullest extent, how + thoroughly ruined is the hapless settlement. The annual income is about + 24,500<i>l</i>., the expenditure is 20,000<i>l</i>. in round numbers, and + the economies are said to reach 25,000<i>l</i>. This sum is forwarded to + the colonial chest, instead of being expended in local improvements; and, + practically, when some petty war-storm breaks it is wasted like water. The + local officials are not to be blamed for this miserable system, this + niggardly colonial policy of the modern economical school, which contrasts + so poorly with the lavish republican expenditure in French Senegambia. + They have, to their honour be it said, often protested against the taxes + raised from struggling merchants and a starveling population, poor as + Hindûs, being expended upon an 'imperial policy.' But economy is the order + of the day at home, and an Administrator inclined to parsimony gladly + seizes the opportunity of pleasing his 'office.' The result is truly + melancholy. I complained in 1862 that the 'civil establishment' at + Bathurst cost 7,075<i>l</i>. I now complain that it has been reduced to + 2,600<i>l</i>. [Footnote: Administrator = 1,300<i>l</i>;.; Chief + Magistrate = 600<i>l</i>.; Collector and Treasurer = 700<i>l</i>. Thus + there is no Colonial Secretary, and, curious to say, no Colonial Chaplain. + I formerly recommended the establishment to be reduced by at least + one-half, and that half to be far better paid (<i>Wanderings in West + Africa</i>, i. 182).] The whole establishment is starved; decay appears in + every office, public and private; and ruin is writ large upon the whole + station. An Englishman who loves his country must blush when he walks + through Bathurst. Even John Bull would be justified in wishing that he had + been born a Frenchman in West Africa. + </p> + <p> + We returned to the s.s. <i>Senegal</i> anything but edified; and there + another displeasure awaited us. Our gallant captain must have known that + he could not load and depart that day. Yet, diplomatically mysterious, he + would not say so. Consequently we missed a visit to Cape St. Mary, the + breezy cliff of which I retain the most agreeable memory. The scenery had + appeared to me positively beautiful after the foul swamps of St. Mary's + Island;—stubbles of Guinea-corn, loved by quails; a velvety expanse + of green grass sloping inland, with here and there a goodly palmyra + grander than the columns of Ba'albek; palms necklaced with + wine-calabashes, and a grove of baobab and other forest trees cabled with + the most picturesque llianas, where birds of gorgeous plume sit and sing. + We could easily have hired hammocks or horses, or, these failing, have + walked the distance, six or seven miles. True, Oyster Creek, the shallow + western outlet of the Gambia, has still a ferry: a bridge was lately + built, but it fell before it was finished. It would, however, have been + pleasurable to pass a night away from the fever-haunts of Bathurst. + </p> + <p> + During one of my many visits to Bathurst I resolved to inspect old Fort + James: one thirsts for a bit of antiquity in these African lands, so bare + of all but modern ruins. Like Bance Island, further south, it is the + parent of the modern settlement; and so far it has the 'charm of origin.' + My companion was Captain Philippi, then well known at Lagos: the last time + we met was unexpectedly at Solingen. A boat with four Krumen was easily + found; but our friends warned us that the <i>ascensus</i> would be easy + and the <i>descensus</i> the reverse; the latter has sometimes taken a day + and a night. + </p> + <p> + The Gambia River here opens its mouth directly to the north; and, after a + great elbow, assumes its normal east-west course. We ran before a + nine-knot breeze, and shortly before noon, after two hours' southing, we + were off the half-way house, reef-girt Dog Island, and Dog Point, in the + Barra country. The dull green stream sparkled in the sun, and the fringe + of mangroves appeared deciduous: some trees were bare, as if dead; others + were clothed with bright foliage. Presently we passed British Albreda, + where our territory now ends. This small place has made a fuss in its day. + It was founded by the French in 1700 as a dependency of Goree, and it + carried on a slave-trade highly detrimental to English interests. In 1783 + the owners had abandoned all right to its occupation, and in 1858 they + ceded it to their English rivals. The landing is bad, especially when the + miry ebb-tide is out. The old village of the French company was reduced + when we visited it to a few huts and two whitewashed and red-roofed + houses, occupied by a Frenchwoman in native dress and by an English + subject, Mr. Hughes. The latter did the honours of the place and showed us + the only 'punkah' at that time known to the West African coast. + </p> + <p> + From Dog Island we bent to the east and passed the Jilifri or Grilofre + village, in the Badibu country, a place well known during the days of + Park. Then bending south-east, after a total of four hours, covering + seventeen to eighteen knots, we landed upon James Island, the site of Fort + James. The scrap of ground has a history. First the Portuguese here built + a factory: Captain Jobson found this fact to his cost when (1621) he + sailed up in search of gold to Satico, then the last point of navigation. + A few words in the native dialects—'alcalde,' for instance—preserve + the memory of the earliest owners. It passed alternately into the hands of + the Dutch, French, and English, who exchanged some shrewd blows upon the + matter of possession. In 1695 it was destroyed by M. de Gennes, and was + rebuilt by the Royal African Company, which had monopolised the traffic. + It fell again in 1702 to Capitaine de la Roque, and cost the conqueror his + life. In 1709 it was attacked for the third time by M. Parent, commanding + four privateering frigates. About 1730 we have from Mr. Superintendent + Francis Moore a notice of it amongst the Company's establishments on the + Gambia River. The island is described as being situated in mid-stream, + here three to four miles broad, thirty miles from the mouth: the extent + was 200 yards long by fifty broad. The factory had a governor and a + deputy-governor, two officers, eight factors, thirteen writers, two + inferior attendants, and thirty-two negro servants. The force consisted of + a company of soldiers, besides armed sloops and shallops. Compare the same + with our starved establishment at the Ruined River-port! In other parts of + the Gambia valley eight subordinate comptoirs, including Jilifri or + Gilofre, traded for hides and bees'-wax, ivory, slaves, and gold. When + Mungo Park travelled (1795-97) the opening of the European trade had + reduced its exports to a gross value of 20,000<i>l</i>., in three ships + voyaging annually. After the African Company was abolished (1820) it + passed over to the Crown, and the station was transferred to its + graveyard, Sainte-Marie de Bathurst. Barbot [Footnote: Lib. i. chap. vii., + <i>A Description of the Coasts of North and South Guinea, &c., in 1700</i>. + Printed in Churchill's Collection. Also his Supplement, <i>ibid.</i> pp. + 426-26.] tells us that Fort James was founded (1664), under the names of + the Duke of York and the Royal African Company, by Commodore Holmes when + expeditioning against the Hollanders in North and South Guinea. It was the + head-centre of trade and its principal defence. But, he says, the + occupants were obliged to fetch fresh water from either bank. Had the + cistern and the powder-magazine been bomb-proof, and drink as well as meat + stored <i>quant. suff.</i>, the fort would have been 'in a manner + impregnable, if well defended by a suitable garrison.' The latter in his + day consisted of sixty to seventy whites, besides 'Gromettoes,' free black + sepoys. + </p> + <p> + This quasi-venerable site is a little holm a hundred yards in diameter, + somewhat larger than the many which line the river's western bank. We + found its stony shingle glazed with a light-green sediment, which forbade + bathing and which suggested fever. The material is conglomerate, fine and + coarse, in an iron-reddened matrix; hence old writers call it a 'sort of + gravelly rock, a little above water.' Salsolaceæ tapestry the shore, and + fig-trees and young calabashes spring from the stone: the ground is strewn + with white shells, tiles, bricks and iridescent bottles—the + invariable concomitants and memorials of civilisation. The masonry, lime + and ashlar, is excellent, but time and the portentous growth of the + tropics have cracked and fissured the walls. Masses of masonry are fallen, + and others are assuming the needle-shape. The great quadrangle had + lozenge-shaped bastions at each end, then lined with good brick-work: the + outliers, which run round the river-holm, were three horseshoe redoubts + 'with batteries along the palisades from one to another.' Four old iron + guns remained out of a total of sixty to seventy pieces. The features were + those of the ancient slave-barracoon —dwelling-houses, tanks and + cisterns, magazines, stores, and powder-room, all broken by the + treasure-hunter. + </p> + <p> + The return to Bathurst was a bitter draught. We had wind and water against + us, and the thick mist prevented our taking bearings. Hungry, thirsty, + weary, cross, and cramped, we reached the steamer at 5 A.M., and slept + spitefully as long as we could. + </p> + <p> + The last displeasure of my latest visit to Bathurst was the crowd of + native passengers, daddy, mammy, and piccaninny, embarking for Sierra + Leone, and the host of friends that came to bid them good-bye. They did + not fail to abscond with M. Colonna's pet terrier and with the steward's + potatoes: no surveillance can keep this long-fingered lot from picking and + stealing. It is a political as well as a social mistake to take negro + first-class passengers. A ruling race cannot be too particular in such + matters, and the white man's position on the Coast would be improved were + the black man kept in his proper place. A kind of first-class second-class + might be invented for them. Nothing less pleasant than their society. The + stewards have neglected to serve soup to some negro, who at every meal has + edged himself higher up the table, and whose conversation consists of + whispering into the ear of a black neighbour, with an occasional guffaw + like that of the 'laughing jackass.' + </p> + <p> + 'I say, daddee, I want <i>my</i> soop. All de passenger he drink 'im soop; + <i>me</i> no drink <i>my</i> soop. What he mean dis palaver?' + </p> + <p> + The sentence ends in a scream; the steward smiles, and the first-class + resumes— + </p> + <p> + 'Ah, you larf. And what for you larf? I no larf, I no drinkee soop!' + </p> + <p> + Here the dialogue ends, and men confess by their looks that travelling + sometimes <i>does</i> throw us into the strangest society. + </p> + <p> + Even in Sierra Leone, where the negro claims to be civilised, a dusky + belle, after dropping her napkin at a Government House dinner, has been + heard to say to her neighbour, 'Please, Mr. Officer-man, pick up my + towel.' The other day a dark dame who missed her parasol thus addressed + H.E.: 'Grovernah! me come ere wid <i>my</i> umbrellah. Where he be, <i>my</i> + umbrellah Give me <i>my</i> umbrelláh: no go widout <i>my</i> umbrelláh.' + </p> + <p> + For our black and brown passengers, fore and aft, there is a graduated and + descending scale of terminology: 1. European, that is, brought up in + England; 2. Civilised man; 3. African; 4. Man of colour, the 'cullered + pussun' of the United States; 5. Negro; 6. Darkey; and 7. Nigger, which + here means slave. All are altogether out of their <i>assiettes</i>. At + home they will eat perforce cankey, fufu, kiki, and bad fish, washing them + down with <i>mimbo</i>, bamboo-wine, and <i>pitto</i>, hopless beer, the + <i>pombe</i> of the East Coast. Here they abuse the best of roast meat, + openly sigh for 'palaver-sauce' and 'palm-oil chop,' and find fault with + the claret and champagne. <i>Chez eux</i> they wear breech-cloths and + nature's stockings—<i>eoco tutto</i>. Here both men and women must + dress like Europeans, and a portentous spectacle it is. The horror reaches + its height at Sierra Leone, where the pulpit as well as the press should + deprecate human beings making such caricatures of themselves, + </p> + <p> + In West Africa we see three styles of dress. The first, or semi-nude, is + that of the Kru-races, a scanty <i>pagne</i>, or waist-wrapper, the dark + skin appearing perfectly decent. The second is the ample flowing robe, at + once becoming and picturesque, with the <i>shalwar</i>, or wide drawers, + of the Moslems from Morocco to the Equator. The third is the hideous Frank + attire affected by Sierra Leone converts and 'white blackmen,' as their + fellow-darkies call them. + </p> + <p> + Many of the costumes that made the decks of the s.s. <i>Senegal</i> + hideous are <i>de fantaisie</i>, as if the wearers had stripped pegs in + East London with the view of appearing at a fancy-ball. The general effect + was that of 'perambulating rainbows <i>en petit</i> surmounted by sable + thunder-clouds.' One youth, whose complexion unmistakably wore the + shadowed livery of the burnished sun, crowned his wool with a scarlet + smoking-cap, round which he had wound a white gauze veil. The light of day + was not intense, but his skin was doubtless of most delicate texture. + Another paraded the deck in a flowing cotton-velvet dressing-gown with + huge sleeves, and in <i>bottines</i> of sky-blue cloth. Even an Aku + Moslem, who read his Koran, printed in Leipzig, and who should have known + better, had mimicked Europeans in this most unbecoming fashion. + </p> + <p> + Men of substance sported superfine Saxony with the broadest of silk-velvet + collars; but the fit suggested second-hand finery. Other elongated + cocoa-nuts bore jauntily a black felt of 'pork-pie' order, leek-green + billycocks, and anything gaudy, but not neat, in the 'tile'-line. Their + bright azure ribbons and rainbow neckties and scarves vied in splendour + with the loudest of thunder-and-lightning waistcoats from the land of + Moses and Sons. Pants were worn tight, to show the grand thickness of + knee, the delicate leanness of calf, the manly purchase of heel, and the + waving line of beauty which here distinguishes shin-bones. There were + monstrous studs upon a glorious expanse of 'biled' shirt; a small + investment of cheap, tawdry rings set off the chimpanzee-like fingers; + and, often enough, gloves invested the hands, whose horny, reticulated + skin reminded me of the black fowl, or the scaly feet of African cranes + pacing at ease over the burning sands. Each dandy had his <i>badine</i> + upon whose nice conduct he prided himself; the toothpick was as + omnipresent as the crutch, nor was the 'quizzing-glass' quite absent. + Lower extremities, of the same category as the hands, but slightly + superior in point of proportional size, were crammed into patent-leather + boots, the latter looking as if they had been stuffed with some inanimate + substance—say the halves of a calf's head. Why cannot these men + adopt some modification of the Chinese costume, felt hat and white shoes, + drawers, and upper raiment half-shirt, half-doublet? It has more common + sense than any other in the world. + </p> + <p> + It is hardly fair to deride a man's ugliness, but the ugly is fair game + when self-obtruded into notice by personal vanity and conceit. Moreover, + this form of negro folly is not to be destroyed by gentle raillery; it + wants hard words, even as certain tumours require the knife. Such aping of + Europeans extends from the physical to the moral man, and in general only + the bad habits, gambling, drinking, and debauching, are aped. + </p> + <p> + The worst and not the least hideous were the mulattos, of whom the negroes + say they are silver and copper, not gold. It is strange, passing strange, + that English blood, both in Africa and in India, mixes so badly for body + and mind (brain) with the native. It is not so with the neo-Latin nations + of Southern Europe and the Portuguese of the Brazil. For instance, compare + the pretty little coloured girls of Pondicherry and Mahé with their sister + half-castes the Chichis of Bengal and Bombay. + </p> + <p> + As for the section conventionally called 'fair,' and unpolitely termed by + Cato the 'chattering, finery-loving, ungovernable sex,' I despair to + depict it. When returning north in the A.S.S. <i>Winnebah</i>, we carried + on board a dark novice of the Lyons sisterhood. She looked perfectly + ladylike in her long black dress and the white wimple which bound her hair + under the sable mantilla. But the feminines on board the <i>Senegal</i> + bound for Sierra Leone outrage all our sense of fitness by their frightful + semi-European gowns of striped cottons and chintzes; by their harlequin + shawls and scarves thrown over jackets which show more than neck and bare + arms to the light of day, and by the head-gear which looks like devils + seen in dreams after a heavy supper of underdone pork. Africa lurks in the + basis: the harsh and wiry hair is gathered into lumps, which to the new + comer suggest only bears' ears, and into chignons resembling curled up + hedge-hogs. Around it is twisted a kerchief of arsenic-green, of + sanguineous-crimson, or of sulphur-yellow; and this would be + unobjectionable if it covered the whole head, like the turban of the Mina + negress in Brazilian Bahia. But it must be capped with a hat or bonnet of + straw, velvet, satin, or other stuff, shabby in the extreme, and profusely + adorned with old and tattered ribbons and feathers, with beads and bugles, + with flowers and fruits. The <i>tout ensemble </i>would scare any crow, + however bold. + </p> + <p> + I am aware that the sex generally is somewhat persistent in its ideas of + personal decoration, and that there is truth in the African proverb, 'If + your head is not torn off you will wear a head-dress,' corresponding with + our common saying, 'Better out of the world than out of the fashion.' But + this nuisance, I repeat, should be abated with a strong hand by the + preacher as well as by the pressman. The women and the children are well + enough as Nature made them: they make themselves mere caricatures, figures + o' fun, guys, frights. If this fact were brought home to them by those + whose opinions they value, they might learn a little common sense and good + taste. And yet—wait a moment—may they not sometimes say the + same of us? But our monstrosities are original, theirs are borrowed. + </p> + <p> + The 'mammies' at once grouped themselves upon the main-hatch, as near the + quarter-deck and officers' cabins as possible. I can hardly understand how + Englishmen take a pleasure in 'chaffing' these grotesque beings, who + usually reply with some gross, outrageous insolence. At the best they + utter impertinences which, issuing from a big and barbarous mouth in a + peculiar <i>patois</i>, pass for pleasantry amongst those who are not + over-nice about the quality of that article. The tone of voice is + peculiar; it is pitched in the usual savage key, modified by the twang of + the chapel and by the cantilene of the Yankee—originally Puritan + Lancashire. Hence a 'new chum' may hear the women talking for several days + before he finds out that they are talking English. And they speak two + different dialects. The first, used with strangers, is 'blackman's + English,'intelligible enough despite the liberties it takes with + pronunciation, grammar, and syntax. The second is a kind of 'pidgin + English,' spoken amongst themselves, like Bolognese or Venetians when they + have some reason for not talking Italian. One of the Gospels was printed + in it; I need hardly say with what effect. The first verse runs, 'Lo vo + famili va Jesus Christus, pikien. (piccaninny) va David, dissi da pikien + va Abraham.' [Footnote: <i>Da Njoe Testament</i>, &c. Translated into + the negro-English language by the missionaries of the Unitas Fratrum, + &c. Printed by the British and Foreign Bible Society. London: W. + McDowall, Pemberton Row, 1829.] + </p> + <p> + This 'pidgin English' runs down West Africa, except the Gold Coast and + about Accra, where the natives have learnt something better. The principal + affirmation is 'Enh,' pronounced nanny-goat fashion, and they always + answer 'Yes' to a negative question: <i>e.g.</i> Q. 'Didn't you go then?' + A. 'Yes' (<i>sub-audi</i>, I did not), thus meaning 'No.' 'Na,' apparently + an interrogative in origin, is used pleonastically on all occasions: 'You + na go na steamer?' 'Enty' means indeed; 'too much,' very; 'one time,' + once; and the sign of the vocative, as in the Southern States of the + Union, follows the, word:' Daddy, oh!' 'Mammy, oh!' 'Puss,' or 'tittle,' + is a girl, perhaps a pretty girl; 'babboh,' a boy. 'Hear' is to obey or + understand; 'look,' to see; 'catch,' to have; 'lib,' to live, to be, to be + found, or to enjoy good health: it is applied equally to inanimates. 'Done + lib' means die; 'sabby' (Portuguese) is to know; 'chop,' to eat; 'cut the + cry,' to end a wake; 'jam head,' or 'go for jam head,' to take counsel; + 'palaver (Port.) set,' to end a dispute; to 'cut yamgah' is to withhold + payment, and to 'make nyanga' is to junket. 'Yam' is food; 'tummach' + (Port.) is the metaphorical heart; 'cockerapeak' is early dawn, when the + cock speaks; all writing, as well as printing, is a 'book;' a quarrel is a + 'bob;' and all presents are a 'dash,' 'dassy' in Barbot, and 'dashs' in + Ogilby. All bulls are cows, and when you would specify sex you say + 'man-cow' or 'woman-cow.' [Footnote: For amusing specimens of amatory + epistles the reader will consult Mrs. Melville and the <i>Ten Years' + Wanderings among the Ethiopians</i> (p. 19), by my old colleague, Mr. + Consul Hutchinson.] + </p> + <p> + These peculiarities, especially the grammatical, are not mere corruptions: + they literally translate the African dialects now utterly forgotten by the + people. And they are more interesting than would at first appear. Pure + English, as a language, is too difficult in all points to spread far and + wide. 'Pidgin English' is not. Already the Chinese have produced a regular + <i>lingua franca</i>, and the Japanese have reduced it to a system of + grammar. If we want only a medium of conversation, a tongue can be reduced + to its simplest expression and withal remain intelligible. Thus 'me' may + serve for I, me, my. Verbs want no modal change to be understood. 'Done + go' and 'done eat' perfectly express went and ate. Something of the kind + is still wanted, and must be supplied if we would see our language become + that of the commercial world in the East as it is fast becoming in the + West. + </p> + <p> + We left Bathurst more than ever convinced that the sooner we got rid of + the wretched station, miscalled a colony, the better. It still supplies + hides from the upper country, ivory, bees'-wax, and a little gold. The + precious metal is found, they say, in the red clay hills near Macarthy's + Island; but the quality is not pure, nor is the quantity sufficient to pay + labour. The Mandengas, locally called 'gold strangers,' manage the traffic + with the interior, probably the still mysterious range called the 'Kong + Mountains.' They are armed with knives, sabres, and muskets; and for + viaticum they carry rude rings of pure gold, which, I am told, are + considered more valuable than the dust. + </p> + <p> + But the staple export from Bathurst—in fact, nine-tenths of the + total—consists of the arachide, pistache, pea-nut, or ground-nut (<i>Arachis + hypoga</i>). It is the best quality known to West Africa; and, beginning + some half a century ago, large quantities are shipped for Marseilles, to + assist in making salad-oil. Why this 'olive-oil' has not been largely + manufactured in England I cannot say. Thus the French have monopolised the + traffic of the Gambia; they have five houses, and the three English, + Messrs. Brown, Goddard, and Topp, export their purchases in French bottoms + to French ports. + </p> + <p> + Moreover, the treaty of 1845, binding the 'high contracting Powers' to + refrain from territorial aggrandisement (much like forbidding a growing + boy to grow), expired in 1855. Since that time, whilst we have refrained + even from abating the nuisance of native wars, our very lively neighbours + have annexed the Casamansa River, with the fine coffee-lands extending + from the Nunez southwards to the Ponga River, and have made a doughty + attempt to absorb Matacong, lying a few miles north of Sierra Leone. + </p> + <p> + Whilst English Gambia is monopolised by the French, French Gaboon is, or + rather was, in English hands. For a score of years men of sense have + asked, 'Why not exchange the two?' When nations so decidedly rivalistic + meet, assuredly it is better to separate <i>à l'aimable</i>. Moreover, so + long as our economical and free-trade 'fads' endure, it is highly + advisable to avoid the neighbourhood of France and invidious comparisons + between its policy and our non-policy, or rather impolicy. + </p> + <p> + According to the best authorities, the whole of the West African coast + north of Sierra Leone might be ceded with advantage to the French on + condition of our occupying the Gaboon and the regions, coast and islands, + south of it, except where the land belongs to the Portuguese and the + Spaniards. Some years ago an energetic effort was made to effect the + exchange, but it was frustrated by missionary and sentimental + considerations. Those who opposed the idea shuddered at the thought of + making over to a Romanist Power (?) the poor converts of Protestantism; + the peoples who had been peaceful and happy so long under the protecting + aegis of Great Britain; the races whom we were bound, by an unwritten + contract, not only to defend, but to civilise, to advance in the paths of + progress. The colonists feared to part with the old effete possession, + lest the French should oppose, as they have done in Senegal, all foreign + industry—in fact, 'seal up' the Gambia. A highly respectable + merchant, the late Mr. Brown, contributed not a little, by his persuasive + pen, to defeat the proposed measure. And now it is to be feared that we + have heard the last of this matter; our rivals have found out the high + value of their once despised equatorial colony. If ever the exchange comes + again to be discussed, I hope that we shall secure by treaty or purchase + an exclusively British occupation of Grand Bassam and the Assini valley, + mere prolongations of our Protectorate on the Gold Coast. A future page + will show the reason why our imperial policy requires the measure. At + present both stations are occupied by French houses or companies, who will + claim indemnification, and who can in justice demand it. + </p> + <p> + We steamed out of the Ruined River-port, and left 'this old sandbank in + Africa they call St. Mary's Isle,' at 11 A.M. on January 16, with a last + glance at the Commissariat-buildings. Accompanied by a mosquito-fleet of + canoes, each carrying two sails, we stood over the bar, sighting the heavy + breakers which defend the island's northern face, and passed Cape St. + Mary, gradually dimming in the distance. After Bald Cape, some sixty miles + south, we ran along the long low shore, distinguished only by the mouths + and islands of the Casamansa and the Cachéo rivers. Our course then led us + by the huge and hideous archipelago off the delta of Jeba and the Bolola, + the latter being the 'Rio Grande' of Camoens, which Portuguese editors + will print with small initials, and which translators mistranslate + accordingly. [Footnote: <i>The Lusiads</i>, v. 12. I have noticed this + error in <i>Camoens: his Life and his Lusiads</i> (vol. i. p. 896. London: + Quaritch, 1881). It was probably called Grande because it was generally + believed to be the southern outlet of the Niger.] These islands are the + Bijougas, or Bissagos, the older 'Biziguiches,' inhabited by the most + ferocious negroes on the coast, who massacred the Portuguese and who + murder all castaways. They are said to shoot one another as Malays 'run + amok,' and some of their tribal customs are peculiar to themselves. + </p> + <p> + Here, about 350 miles north of Sierra Leone, was established the + unfortunate Bulama colony. Its first and last governor, the redoubtable + Captain Philip Beaver, R.N., has left the queerest description of the + place and its people. [Footnote: <i>African Memoranda</i>. Baldwin, + London, 1805.] Within eighteen months only six remained of 269 souls, + including women and children. In 1792 the island was abandoned, despite + its wealth of ground-nuts. After long 'palavering' it was again occupied + by Mr. Budge, manager of Waterloo Station, Sierra Leone; but he was not a + fixture there. It is now, I believe, once more deserted. + </p> + <p> + Early next morning we were off the Isles de Los, properly Dos Idolos (of + the Idols). On my return northwards I had an opportunity of a nearer view. + The triad of parallel rock-lumps, sixty miles north of Sierra Leone, is + called Tama, or Footabar, to the west; Ruma, or Crawford, a central and + smaller block of some elevation; and Factory Island, the largest, five or + six miles long by one broad, and nearest the shore. Their aspect is not + unpleasant: the features are those of the Sierra Leone peninsula, black + rocks, reefs, and outliers, underlying ridges of red soil; and the land is + feathered to the summit with palms, rising from stubbly grass, here and + there patched black by the bush-fire. A number of small villages, with + thatched huts like beehives, are scattered along the shore. The census of + 1880 gives the total figures at 1,300 to 1,400, and of these 800 inhabit + Factory Island. Mr. J. M. Metzger, the civil and intelligent sub-collector + and custom-house officer, a Sierra Leone man, reduced the number to 600, + half of them occupying the easternmost of the three. He had never heard of + the golden treasures said to have been buried here by Roberts the pirate, + the Captain (Will.) Kidd of these regions. + </p> + <p> + In our older and more energetic colonial days we had a garrison on the + Isles de Los. They found the climate inferior to the Banana group, off + Cape Shilling. Factory Island still deserves its name. Here M. Verminck, + of Marseille, the successor of King Heddle, has a factory on the eastern + side, an establishment managed by an agent and six clerks, with large + white dwellings, store-houses, surf-boats, and a hulk to receive his + palm-oil. The latter produces the finest prize-cockroaches I have yet + seen. + </p> + <p> + My lack of strength did not allow me to inspect the volcanic craters said + to exist in these strips, or to visit any of the 'devil-houses.' Mr. G. + Neville, agent of the steamers at Lagos, gave me an account of his trip. + Landing near the French factory, he walked across the island in fifteen + minutes, followed the western coast-line, turned to the south-west, + descended a hollow, and found the place of sacrifice. Large boulders, that + looked as if shaken down by an earthquake, stood near one another. There + were neither idols nor signs of paganism, except that the floor, which + resembled the dripstone of Tenerife, was smoothed by the feet of the old + worshippers. When steaming round the south-western point we saw—at + least so it was said—the famous 'devil-house' which gave the islands + their Portuguese name. + </p> + <p> + Factory is divided by a narrow strait from Tumbo Island, and the latter + faces the lands occupied by the Susus. These equestrian tribes, inhabiting + a grassy plain, were originally Mandengas, who migrated south to the + Mellikuri, Furikaria, and Sumbuyah countries, and who intermarried with + the aboriginal Bulloms, Tonko-Limbas, and Baggas. All are Moslems, and + their superior organisation enabled them to prevail against the pagan + Timnis, who in 1858-59 applied to the Government of Sierra Leone for help, + and received it. Of late years the chances of war have changed, and the + heathenry are said to have gained the upper hand. The Susus are an + industrious tribe, and they trade with our colony in gum, ground-nuts, and + <i>benni</i>, or sesamum-seed. + </p> + <p> + It is uncommonly pleasant to leave these hotbeds and once more to breathe + the cool, keen breath of the Trades, laden with the health of the broad + Atlantic. + </p> + + <hr /> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div class="chapter"> + + <h2><a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> </a> + CHAPTER XI. — SIERRA LEONE: THE CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. + </h2> + <p> + After a pleasant run, <i>not</i> in a 'sultry and tedious Pacific,' + covering 490 miles from Bathurst, we sighted a heavy cloud banking up the + southern horizon. As we approached it resolved itself into its three + component parts, the airy, the earthy, and the watery; and it turned out + to be our destination. The old frowze of warm, water-laden nimbus was + there; everything looked damp and dank, lacking sweetness and sightliness; + the air wanted clearing, the ground cleaning, and the sea washing. Such on + January 17, 1882, was the first appearance of the redoubtable Sierra + Leone. It was a contrast to the description by the learned and painstaking + Winterbottom. [Footnote: <i>An Account of the Native Africans in the + Neighbourhood of Sierra Leone, etc.</i> London, Hatchard, 1803.] 'On a + nearer approach the face of the country assumes a more beautiful aspect. + The rugged appearance of these mountains is softened by the lively verdure + with which they are constantly crowned (?); their majestic forms (?), + irregularly advancing and receding, occasion huge masses of light and + shade to be projected from their sides, which add a degree of picturesque + grandeur to the scene.' + </p> + <p> + And first of the name. Pedro de Cintra (1480), following Soeiro da Costa + (1462-63), is said to have applied 'Sierra Leone' to the mountain-block in + exchange for the 'Romarong' of its Timni owners. He did nothing of the + kind: our English term is a mere confusion of two neo-Latin tongues, + 'Sierra' being Spanish and 'Leone' Italian. The Portuguese called it Serra + da Leôa (of the Lioness), not 'Lion Hill.' [Footnote: So the late Keith + Johnston, <i>Africa</i>, who assigns to the apex a height of 2,500 feet.] + Hence Milton is hardly worse than his neighbours when he writes— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Notus and Afer, black with thund'rous clouds + From Serraliona; +</pre> + <p> + and the old French 'Serrelionne' was the most correct translation. The + reason is disputed; some invoke the presence of the Queen of the Cats, + others the leonine rumbling of the re-echoed thunder. The latter suggested + the Montes Claros of the Portuguese. Cà da Mosto in 1505 tells us that the + explorers 'gave the name of Sierra Leone to the mountain on account of the + roaring of thunder heard from the top, which is always buried in clouds.' + But the traveller, entering the roadstead, may see in the outline of + Leicester Cone a fashion of maneless lion or lioness couchant with averted + head, the dexter paw protruding in the shape of a ground-bulge and the + contour of the back and crupper tapering off north-eastwards. At any rate, + it is as fair a resemblance as the French lion of Bastia and the British + lion of 'Gib.' Meanwhile those marvellous beings the 'mammies' call 'the + city' 'Sillyown,' and the pretty, naughty mulatto lady married to the + Missing Link termed it 'Sa Leone.' I shall therefore cleave to the latter, + despite 'Mammy Gumbo's' box inscribed 'Sa leone.' + </p> + <p> + Presently the lighthouse, four to five miles distant from the anchorage, + was seen nestling at the base of old Cabo Ledo, the 'Glad Head,' the Timni + 'Miyinga,' now Cape 'Sa Leone.' Round this western point the sea and the + discharge of two rivers run like a mill-race. According to Barbot (ii. 1) + 'the natives call Cabo Ledo (not Liedo) or Tagrin (Cape Sa Leone) 'Hesperi + Cornu,' the adjoining peoples (who are lamp-black) Leucsethiopes, and the + mountain up the country Eyssadius Mons.' All the merest conjecture! Mr. + Secretary Griffith, of whom more presently, here finds the terminus of the + Periplus of Hanno, the Carthaginian, in the sixth century B.C., and the + far-famed gorilla-land. [Footnote: This I emphatically deny. Hanno + describes an eruption, not a bush-fire, and Sa Leone never had a volcano + within historic times. There is no range fit to be called Theôn Ochema + (Vehicle of the Gods), which Ptolemy places on the site of Camarones Peak, + and there is no Notou Keras, or Horn of the South. Lastly, there is no + island that could support the gorilla: we must go further south for one, + to Camarones and Corisoo in the Bight of Benin.] + </p> + <p> + Formerly the red-tipped lantern-tower had attached to it a bungalow, where + invalids resorted for fresh air; it has now fallen to pieces, and two iron + seats have taken its place. Over this western end of the peninsula's + northern face the play of the sea-breeze is strong and regular; and the + wester and north-wester blow, as at Freetown, fifty days out of sixty. The + run-in from this point is picturesque in clear weather, and it must have + been beautiful before the luxuriant forest was felled for fuel, and the + land was burnt for plantations which were never planted. A few noble trees + linger beside and behind the lighthouse, filling one with regret for the + wanton destruction of their kind. Lighthouse Hillock, which commands the + approach to the port, and which would sweep the waters as far as the Sá + Leone River, will be provided with powerful batteries before the next + maritime war. And we must not forget that Sá Leone is our only harbour of + refuge, where a fleet can water and refit, between the Gambia and the Cape + of Good Hope. + </p> + <p> + The northern face of the Sá Leone peninsula is fretted with little creeks + and inlets, bights and lagoons, which were charming in a state of nature. + Pirate's Bay, the second after the lighthouse, is a fairy scene under a + fine sky; with its truly African tricolor, its blue waters reflecting air, + its dwarf cliffs of laterite bespread with vivid leek-green, and its arc + of golden yellow sand, upon which the feathery tops of the cocoa-palms + look like pins planted in the ground. To the travelled man the view + suggests many a nook in the Pacific islands. The bathing is here + excellent: natural breakwaters of black rock exclude the shark. The place + derives its gruesome name from olden days, when the smooth waters and the + abundant fish and fruit tempted the fiery filibusters to a relache. It was + given in 1726 by Mr. Smith, surveyor to the Royal African Company, after + Roberts the pirate, who buried 'his loot' in the Isles de Los, had burned + an English ship. There is also a tradition that Drake chose it for + anchoring. + </p> + <p> + Beyond Pirate's Bay, and separated by a bushy and wooded point, lies + Aberdeen Creek, a long reach extending far into the interior, and making, + after heavy rains, this portion of the country + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Both land and island twice a day. +</pre> + <p> + The whole site of Sa Leone is quasi-insular. Bunce or Bunch River to the + north, and Calamart or Calmont, usually called Campbell's Creek, from the + south, are said to meet at times behind the mountain-mass; and at all + seasons a portage of a mile enables canoes to paddle round the + hill-curtain behind Freetown. This conversion of peninsula into islet is + by no means rare in the alluvial formations further south. + </p> + <p> + Aberdeen Creek abounds in sunken rocks, which do not, however, prevent a + ferry-boat crossing it. Governor Rowe began a causeway to connect it with + the next village, and about a third of the length has already been done by + convict labour. Aberdeen village is a spread of low thatched huts, lining + half-cleared roads by courtesy called streets. Murray Town and Congo Town + bring us to King Tom's Point. Here is the old Wesleyan College, a large + whitewashed bungalow with shingled roof, upper <i>jalousies,</i> and lower + arches; the band of verdure in front being defended from the waves by a + dwarf sea-wall and a few trees still lingering around it. The position is + excellent: the committee, however, sold it because the distance was too + great for the boys to walk, and bought a fitter place near Battery Point. + Thus it became one of the many Government stores. A deep indentation now + shows Upper Town or Kru Town, heaps of little thatched hovels divided by + remnants of bush. It is, despite its brook, one of the impurest sites in + the colony: nothing can teach a Kruman cleanliness; a Slav village is + neatness itself compared with his. This foul colony settled early in Sá + Leone, and in 1816 an ordinance was passed enabling it to buy its bit of + land. The present chief is 'King' Tom Peter, who is also a first-class + police-constable under the Colonial Grovernment; and his subjects hold + themselves far superior to their brethren in the old home down coast. 'We + men work for cash-money; you men work for waist-cloth.' Again 'pig-iron + and tenpenny nails!' + </p> + <p> + Beyond this point, at a bend of the bight, we anchor a few hundred feet + from the shore, and we command a front view of roadstead and 'city.' St. + George's Bay, the older 'Baie de France,' would be impossible but for the + Middle Ground, the Scarcies Bank, and other huge shoals of sand pinned + down by rocks which defend the roadstead from the heavy send of the sea. + It is supplied with a tide-rip by the Tagrin, Mitomba, Rokel, or Rokelle, + the Sá Leone River, which Barbot makes the ancients term Nia (N<i>ia</i>), + and which the Timni tribe call Robung Dakell, or Stream of Scales. Hence + some identify it with Pliny's 'flumen Bambotum crocodilis et hippopotamis + refertum.' Its northern bank is the low Bullom shore, a long flat line of + mud and mangrove, on which all the fevers, Tertiana, Quartana, and Co., + hold their court. The sea-facing dot is Leopard, anciently Leopold, + Island, where it is said a leopard was once seen: it is, however, a + headland connected by a sandspit with the leeward-most point of the coast. + The Bullom country takes a name after its tribe. A score of years ago I + was told they were wild as wild can be: now the chief, Alimami (El-Imám) + Sanúsi, hospitably receives white faces at his capital, Callamondia. + Moreover, a weekly post passes through Natunu to Kaikonki <i>via</i> + Yongro, Proboh, and Bolloh. + </p> + <p> + Inland (east) of the Bulloms, or lowlanders, dwell the Timnis, who drove + to seaward the quondam lords of the land. Kissy, Sherbro, and Casamansa + are all named from their 'Reguli.' They retain a few traditional words, + such as 'potu,' meaning a European: similarly in Central Africa the King + of Portugal is entitled Mueneputo. Butter is also 'Mantinka,' the + Lusitanian <i>Mantêiga</i>, and a candle is <i>Kandirr</i>. Although 'the + religion of Islam seems likely to diffuse itself peaceably over the whole + district in which the colony (Sá Leone) is situated, carrying with it + those advantages which seem ever to have attended its victory over negro + superstition,' [Footnote: <i>Report of Directors of Sierra Leone Company + to the House of Commons</i>, quoted by Winterbottom and the Rev. Mr. + Macbriar.] the tribe has remained pagan. + </p> + <p> + Buttressing the southern shore of the Rokel's <i>débouchure</i> is a dwarf + Ghaut, a broken line of sea-subtending highlands, stretching + south-south-east some eighteen miles from Cape Sá Leone to Cape Shilling. + Inland of these heights the ground is low. The breadth of the peninsula is + about twelve miles, which would give it an area of 300 square miles, + larger than the Isle of Wight. There are, besides it, the Kwiah (Quiah) + country, British Sherbro, an important annexation dated 1862; the Isles de + Los, the Bananas, and a strip of land on the Bullom shore,—additions + which more than treble the old extent. + </p> + <p> + The peninsula is distinctly volcanic, and subject to earthquakes: the + seismic movement of 1858 extended to the Gold Coast, and was a precursor + of the ruins of 1862. [Footnote: For the older earthquakes see + Winterbottom, i, 34-5.] Its appearance, however, is rather that of a + sandstone region, the effect of the laterite or volcanic mud which, in + long past ages, has been poured over the plutonic ejections; and the + softly rounded contours, with here and there a lumpy cone, a tongue of + land, and a gentle depression, show the long-continued action of water and + weather. This high background, which arrests the noxious vapours of the + lowlands and of the Bullom shore, and which forbids a thorough draught, is + the fons malorum, the grand cause of the fevers and malaria for which the + land has an eternal ill fame. The 'Sultan' of the Ghauts is Regent + Mountain, or Sugarloaf Peak, a kind of lumpy 'parrot's beak' which rises + nearly 3,000 feet above sea-level: one rarely sees even its base. The trip + to the summit occupies two days; and here wild coffee is said to flourish, + as it does at Kwiah and other parts of the lowland. The 'Wazir' is + Wilberforce, which supports sundry hamlets set in dense bush; and + Leicester Cone, the lioness-hill, ranks third. The few reclaimed patches, + set in natural shrubbery, are widely scattered: the pure, unsophisticated + African is ever ashamed of putting hand to hoe or plough; and, where the + virgin soil would grow almost everything, we cannot see a farm and nothing + is rarer than a field. Firing the bush also has been unwisely allowed: + hence the destruction of much valuable timber and produce; for instance, + tallow-trees and saponaceous nut-trees, especially the <i>Pentadesma + butyracea</i>, and the noble forest which once clothed the land from Sá + Leone to the Niger. + </p> + <p> + Looking towards the Rokel River, we see the Fourah Bay and College, a + large and handsome building, now terribly out of repair. This + establishment, the 'Farran's House' of old maps, is well known to readers + of propagandist works; it opened on February 18, 1828, with six pupils, + one of whom was the 'boy Ajai,' now Bishop Crowther of the Niger + territory. The Church Missionary Society has spent upon it a small + treasury of money; at present it ranks as a manner of university, having + been affiliated in May 1876 to that of Durham. Sealed papers are sent out + from England, but perhaps the local examiners are easy distributors of + B.A.s and so forth to the golden youth of Sá Leone. It is free to all, + irrespective of religious denomination, a liberal concession which does it + high honour. The academical twelve-month has three terms; and there are + three scholarships, each worth 40<i>l.</i> per annum, open for competition + every year. Not bad for a maximum of sixteen students, whose total is + steadily diminishing. College evening-classes are held for the benefit of + those who must work by day; and charges are exceedingly moderate, the + admission fee being 10<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> The Society proposes, they say, + to give it up. It may be wanted half a century hence. [Footnote: An annual + report is published. Those curious on the subject will consult it.] + </p> + <p> + West of Fourah College, and separated, <i>longo intervallo,</i> by an + apparently unbroken bush, is Bishop's Court, where the Right Reverend + lives as long as he can or will. Nearer the 'city' lies the deep little + bight called Susan or Sawpit Bay. It is also known as Destruction Bay—a + gloomy name—where ships caught carrying 'bales,' or 'dry goods,' or + 'blackbirds,' were broken up. Twenty years ago traces of their ruins were + still seen. Susan is now provided with a large factory: here 'factories' + do <i>not</i> manufacture. A host of boats and dug-outs, a swarm of + natives like black ants, a long wooden jetty, and some very tall houses + denote the place where Messrs. Randall and Fisher store and sell their + Kola-nuts. This astringent, the Gora of old writers (<i>Sterculia + acuminata</i>), acts in Africa like the Brazilian Guaraná, the Kát (<i>Catha + edulis</i>) of southern Arabia, the Betel-nut of Hindostan, and the opium + of China, against which certain bigots, with all the presumption of utter + ignorance, have been, and still are, waging an absurd war. Sá Leone + exported 3,445<i>l</i>. worth of Kola-nuts in 1860; in 1870 10,400<i>l</i>.; + and, in 1880, 24,422<i>l</i>. The demand therefore increases and will + increase. [Footnote: Mr. Griffith says, 'The Mohammedans of Africa have a + singular belief that if they die with a portion of this nut in their + stomach their everlasting happiness is secured.' This must be some + fanciful Christian tale. Amongst them, however, the red Kola, when sent to + the stranger, denotes war, the white Kola peace.] + </p> + <p> + In Susan Bay there is a good coal-shed with a small supply for the use of + the colonial steamer. A store of compressed coal is on the town-front and + heaps used to lie about King Tom's Point. A hulk was proposed and refused. + It is now intended to increase the quantity, for the benefit of future + companies, especially the 'Castle Line,' which talks of sending their + steamers to Sá Leone. I hope they will so do; more competition is much + wanted. But the coal-depôt may prove dangerous. The mineral in the tropics + produces by its exhalations fatal fevers, especially that exaggerated form + of bilious-remittent popularly known as 'Yellow Jack.' It is certain that + in places like West Indian St. Thomas the neighbourhood of the coal-sheds + is more unhealthy, without apparent reason, than the sites removed from + it. + </p> + <p> + And now we reach Freetown proper, which may be called Cathedral-Town or + Jail-Town. At a distance the 'Liverpool' or 'London of West Africa,' as + the lieges wildly entitle it, is not unpicturesque; but the style of + beauty is that of a baronial castle on the Rhine with an unpensioned + proprietor, ruinous and tumbledown. After Las Palmas and Santa Cruz it + looks like a dingy belle who has seen better and younger days; and who, + moreover, has forgotten her paint. She has suffered severely from the + abolition of the export slave-trade, in whose palmy times she supplied + many a squadron, and she will not be comforted for the loss. + </p> + <p> + The colours of the houses are various; plain white is rare, and the + prevailing tints are the light-brick of the fresh laterite and the dark + rusty ochre of the old. But all are the same in one point, the mildewed, + cankered, gangrened aspect, contrasting so unfavourably with the + whitewashed port-towns of the Arabs. The upper stories of wood-work based + on masonry, the fronting piazzas or galleries, the huge plank-balconies, + and the general use of shingle roofs—in fact, the quantity of + tinder-timber, reminding one of olden Cairo, are real risks: some of the + best houses have been destroyed by fire; and, as in Valparaiso and the + flue-warmed castles of England, it is only a question of time when the + inmates will be houseless. Thanks to the form of ground, the townlet is + well laid out, with a gradual rake towards the bay. But there is no marine + parade, and the remarkably uneven habitations crowd towards the + water-front, like those of Eastern ports, thinning off and losing style + inland. The best are placed to catch the 'Doctor,' or sea-breeze: here, as + at Zanzibar, the temperature out of the wind becomes unendurable. + </p> + <p> + Freetown lies upon a gentle declivity, a slope of laterite and diluvium + washed down from the higher levels. The ground is good for drainage, but + the soft and friable soil readily absorbs the deluging torrents of rain, + and as readily returns them to the air in the shape of noxious vapours. + The shape is triangular. The apex is 'Tower Hill,' so named from a ruined + martello, supposed to have been built by the Dutch, and till lately used + for stores. The barracks, which lodge one of the West India regiments, are + six large blocks crowning the hill-crest and girt with a low and loopholed + wall. In winter, or rather in the December summer, the slopes are clad in + fine golden stubbles, the only spectacle of the kind which this part of + the coast affords. Though not more than four hundred feet or so above + sea-level, the barracks are free from yellow fever; and in the years when + the harbour-town has been almost depopulated the only fatal cases were + those brought up from below. Moreover, the disease did not spread. The + officers' quarters, with cool and lofty rooms, twenty feet high, are + surrounded by shady and airy piazzas or verandahs, where the wind, when + there is any, must find its way. For many years they had <i>jalousies</i> + and half-windows instead of glass, which forced the inmates to sit in + outer darkness during tornadoes and the Rains. The garrison, like the + town, owes an eternal debt of gratitude to Governor J. Pope Henessy. + Seeing the main want of Sá Leone, he canalised in 1872, with the good aid + of Mr. Engineer Jenkins, a fine fountain rising below 'Heddle's Farm,' + enabling the barracks to have a swimming-bath and the townsfolk to lay on, + through smaller pipes, a fair supply of filtered water. For this alone he + amply deserves a statue; but colonies, like republics, are rarely + grateful. + </p> + <p> + The sea-front of the triangle, whose lowest houses are sprinkled by the + wave-spray, is bounded on the east by Battery Point. It is a grassy flat + with a few fine trees, and benches ever black with the native lounger. + Here the regimental band plays on Wednesdays; an occasional circus pitches + its tents, and 'beauty and fashion' flock to see and be seen. The many are + on foot; the few use Bath-chairs or <i>machilas</i>, —<i>fautenils</i> + hung to a pole. The only carriage in the place belongs to the Governor, + and he lost no time in losing one of his horses. Riding is apparently + unknown. + </p> + <p> + The Battery is the old Fort Falconbridge. A worm-eaten gun or two, far + more dangerous to those in rear than to those in front, rises <i>en + barbette.</i> The affair would fall in half an hour before the mildest of + gunboats. Yet by fortifying three points at an expense of some 6,000£ to + 8,000£ Sá Leone might be decently defended. The first is Lighthouse Point, + along which ships entering and leaving perforce must run; the second would + be King Tom's Point, flanking the harbour-front; and the third would be + Johnson's Battery, where salutes are now fired, a work lying above + Government House upon a spur of Barrack Hill. Needless to say all three + would want the heaviest guns. + </p> + <p> + Running the eye west of the Battery, a few wooden houses or sheds, some of + them overhanging the dwarf cliff, the black rocks, and the red-yellow + sands, lead to Taylor's warehouses, a huge pile of laterite still + unfinished. Here the traditional 'man and boy' may sometimes be seen + working in the cooler and more comfortable hours. Beyond it, on a level + with the water, stands the new camber, where we shall land. Then comes the + huge block built by Mr. Charles Heddle, of Hoy, who by grace of a large + fortune, honourably made at Freetown, has become proprietor of a noble + château and broad lands in France. It has now been converted into the + Crown commissariat-store. The sea-frontage has a clear fall of eighty + feet, whereas, from the street behind the wooden upper story, it appears + below the average height. Very mean are the custom-house and adjoining + coal-shed. Governor 'Dangan's Wharf,' a contemptible jetty, and its puny + lighthouse have at length made way for a quay, along which ships, despite + sunken rocks, were expected to lie; but the sea soon broke down the + perpendicular wall, and now it is being rebuilt with a 'batter.' A hollow + square behind it shows the workmen blasting the material, a fine-grained + grey granite, which seems here, as at Axim, to be the floor-rock of the + land. No wonder that the new harbour-works have cost already 70,000<i>l</i>., + of which 50,637<i>l</i>. are still owed, and that the preposterous + wharfage-duty is 10<i>s</i>. per ton. To avoid this and the harbour-dues, + ships anchor, whenever they safely can, in the offing, where the shoals + are Nature's breakwaters. West of the quarry-hollow, in my day a little + grassy square, are the old Commissariat-quarters, now a bonded warehouse. + This building is also a long low cottage viewed from inland, and a tall, + grim structure seen from the sea. On a higher level stands St. George's, + once a church, but years ago promoted to a cathedral-dignity, making + Freetown proud as Barchester Towers. We shall presently pass it and its + caricature, the pert little Wesleyan church to its east. The extreme west + of the triangle-base is occupied by the gaol. No longer a 'barn-like + structure faced by a black wall,' it is a lengthy scatter of detached + buildings, large enough to accommodate half the population, and + distinguished by its colour, a light ashen grey. Behind this projecting + site lies King Jimmy's Bridge, a causeway through whose central arch a + stream of sparkling water winds its way seawards. + </p> + <p> + Below King Jimmy's Bridge is the only antiquity which Sá Leone knows. + Here, according to some, Sir Francis Drake, the discoverer of California + and her gold, the gallant knight of whom the Virgin Queen said that 'his + actions did him more honour than his title,' left his name upon the + buttress of primitive rock. Others have (correctly?) attributed the + inscription to Sir John Hawkins, the old naval worthy whose name still + blossoms in the dust at Sá Leone as the 'first slaver.' The waters and the + tramp of negro feet have obliterated the epigraph, which was, they say, + legible forty years ago. The rock is covered with griffonages; and here + some well-cut square letters easily read— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + M. A. RVITER. + VICE-AMIRALL- + VAN-HOLLANT. +</pre> + <p> + Near this 'written rock' is King James's Well, a pure stream which in + former times supplied the shipping. + </p> + <p> + The scene in the harbour is by no means lively, although the three or four + dismantled merchant-craft, dreary as the settlement, have now disappeared. + A little white-painted colonial steamer, a dwarf paddle-wheeler, the <i>Prince + of Wales,</i> lies moping and solitary off foul Krutown Bay. At times a + single gunboat puts in an appearance. There may be a French steamer with a + blue anchor on a white flag bound for Sherbro, or the Isles de Los; and a + queer Noah's Ark kind of craft, belonging to Mr. Broadhurst, a partner in + Randall and Fisher's, runs to the river Scarcies and others. These are the + grandees of the waters. The middle class is composed of Porto Loko + [Footnote: Porto Loko—not Locco—derives its name from a + locust-tree, whose fruit is an ingredient in 'palaver sauce;' and + Winterbottom (I.4), who calls it Logo, derives the word from the land of + that name.] boats, which affect the streams and estuaries. Originally + canoes, they were improved to the felucca-type of the Portuguese, and the + hulls reminded Cameron and myself of the Zanzibarian 'Mtepe.' A strong + standing-awning of wood occupies the sternward third; the masts number two + or three, with a short jib, and there are six oars on each side, worked by + men on foot, who alternately push and pull—a thoroughly novel + process in rowing. The Sá Leone boats which carry passengers on shore are + carefully named, but apparently never washed: they want the sunshades of + the Bathurst craft. The commonalty of the sea is the host of dug-outs, in + which the sable fisherman, indolently thrown back, props his feet upon the + gunwales and attaches a line to each big toe. These men land little more + than enough for their own subsistence, and the market-supply is + infinitesimal compared with what industry and proper appliances might + produce. + </p> + <p> + The background of the 'city' is a green curtain of grass and fruit-trees, + amongst which predominate the breadfruit, an early introduction; the prim + dark mango, somewhat like an orange multiplied by two, or three, and + palms, ever present in equinoctial lowlands. On the heights above the + settlement there is room for cool country-seats, where European exiles + might live comparatively safe from fever and the more deadly dysentery. A + white lodge peeping from a densely wooded mountain-flank, originally + Carnes's Farm and now Heddle's Farm, was called Mount Oriel (Oriole?) by + Mrs. Melville, the wife of a pensioned judge of the Mixed Customs Court, + who lived here seven years. Her sketch of a sojourn upon the Lioness Range + is not tempting: young gentlemen who intend leading brides to the deadly + peninsula should hide the book from their fair intendeds. I cannot, + however, but admire the 'word-painting' of the scenery and the fidelity of + those descriptions concerning which I have a right to form an opinion. The + book [Footnote: A Residence in Sierra Leone. By a Lady. London: Murray, + 1849.] was edited by the late Mrs. Caroline Norton. + </p> + <p> + Though not more than 550 feet above sea-level, the climate of Heddle's + Farm is said to be wholly different from that of the lower town. The + property was bought by Government for a song, and now it occasionally + lodges a sick governor or a convalescent officer. During my last visit the + Sa Leonites spoke of building a sanatorium at Wilberforce village, alias + Signal Hill, where a flag announces the approach of vessels. The tenement + rose to nearly the first story, when it stopped short for want of funds. + Now they talk of a white regiment being stationed at the 'White Man's + Grave,' and propose barracks high up the hills beyond sight of the + town-frontage. The site was pointed out to me where the artillery-range + now is, and beyond where a dwarf thatch shows the musketry-ground of the + West India regiment. We shall sight from afar, when steaming out + southwards, the three white dots which represent quarters on Leicester + Cone; now they are hidden in frowsy fog-clouds. But all these heights have + one and the same disadvantage. You live in a Scotch mist, you breathe as + much water as air, and you exchange fever and dysentery for rheumatism, + and lumbago, and all that dire cohort. + </p> + <p> + Presently the health-officer with his blue flag gave us pratique, and the + fort-adjutant with his red flag carried off our only soldier. The latter, + with a hospitality rare, it is to be hoped, in British regiments, would + hardly recognise his quondam shipmates. We were duly interviewed, in most + civilised style, by a youth who does this work for Mr. George A. Freeman, + manager of the 'West African Reporter.' Then the s.s. <i>Senegal</i> was + attacked and captured by a host of sable visitors, some coming to greet + their friends, other to do a little business in the washing and the + shoreboat lines. + </p> + <p> + The washerwoman lost no time in showing up, although her charges have been + greatly reduced. She formerly demanded nearly treble as much as in London; + now, however, she makes only sixteen to twenty shillings a month, not bad + pay in a place where living costs threepence, and comfortable living + sixpence, a day. These nymphs of the wash-tub are painfully familiar and + plain. The dress is a bright cotton foulard bound on like the anatomy of a + turban and garnished, as were our grandmothers' nightcaps, with huge front + bows. Gaudy shawls cover white cotton jackets; and skirts of bright, showy + longcloth suggest the parrot or the cockatoo. The ornaments are large gold + earrings and necklaces of beads or coral. I could not but remark the + difference of tone. There was none of the extreme 'bumptiousness' and + pugnacious impudence of twenty years ago; indeed, the beach-boys, nowhere + a promising class, were rather civil than otherwise. Not a single allusion + to the contrast of 'white niggahs and black gen'lemen.' Nor did the + unruly, disorderly African character ever show itself, as formerly it + often did, by fisticuffing, hair-pulling, and cursing, with a mixture of + English and Dark-Continent ideas and phraseology, whose <i>tout ensemble</i> + was really portentous. + </p> + <p> + The popular voice ascribes this immense change for the better to the + energetic action of Governor S. Rowe (1876); and if so his statue deserves + to stand beside that of Pope Henessy. We could not fairly complain of the + inordinate noise, which would have been the death of a sick traveller. + Niger cannot speak without bawling. The charge for landing was only + threepence; <i>en revanche</i> the poor fellows stole every little thing + they could, including my best meerschaum. + </p> + <p> + Cameron and I went ashore to hire Krumen for the Gold Coast, and herein we + notably failed. We disembarked at the camber, a huge pile of masonry, + whose weight upon an insecure foundation has already split the sea-wall in + more than one place. The interior also is silting up so fast that it will + constantly require dredging to admit boats. In fact, the colony must + deeply repent not having patronised Mr. Jenkins's project of a T-headed + pier, on one side of which landing would have been practicable in all + weathers. + </p> + <p> + The sun, despite the mist, seemed to burn our backs, and the glare from + the red clay soil roasted our eyes as we toiled up the ramp, bad as those + of 'Gib.,' which leads to Water Street, the lower line subtending the + shore. Here we could inspect St. George's Cathedral, built, they say, at a + cost of 10,000<i>l.</i> to 15,000<i>l.</i>, which would be reduced to + 5,000<i>l.</i> in England—contracts in such 'colonies' cost more + than stone and slate. The general aspect is that of its Bombay brother, + and the order is called, I believe, neo-Gothic, the last insult to + ecclesiastical architecture. A single rusty tower, with toy-battlements, + pins down along ridge-back, evidently borrowed from a barn; the light + yellow-wash is mildewed and weather-stained, and the windows show unseemly + holes. Surely Bishop Cheetham could have afforded a few panes of glass + when exchanging his diocese for a rectory in England. Let me here note + that the Catholic bishop at Goa and elsewhere is expected to die at his + post, and that there is an over-worldly look in this Protestant form of + the 'nolo episcopari.' East of the cathedral, and uncompromisingly + 'Oriented' to the north, stands the unfinished shell of a Wesleyan chapel, + suggesting that caricature which has intruded itself into the shadow of + York Minster. Some 5,000<i>l.</i> were spent upon this article by the + locals; but the home committee wisely determined that it should not be + finished, and now they propose to pull it down for building-material. + </p> + <p> + We then entered the fruit and vegetable market, a neat and well-paved + bazar, surmounted by a flying roof and pierced for glass windows. The dead + arches in the long walls are externally stone and internally brick. The + building was full of fat middle-aged negresses, sitting at squat before + their 'blyes,' or round baskets, which contained a variety and confusion + of heterogeneous articles. The following is a list almost as disorderly as + the collection itself. + </p> + <p> + There were pins and needles, yarn and thread, that have taken the place of + the wilder thorn and fibre; all kinds of small hardware; looking-glasses + in lacquered frames; beads of sorts, cowries and reels of cotton; pots of + odorous pomatum and shea-butter nuts; feathers of the plantain-bird and + country snuff-boxes of a chestnut-like fruit (a strychnine?) from which + the powder is inhaled, <i>more majorum</i>, through a quill; physic-nuts (<i>tiglium</i>, + or croton), a favourite but painful native remedy; horns of the goat and + antelope, possibly intended for fetish 'medicine;' blue-stone, colcothar + and other drugs. Amongst the edibles appeared huge achatinae, which make + an excellent soup, equal to that of the French snail; ground-nuts; very + poor rice of four varieties, large and small, red and dark; cheap ginger, + of which the streets are at times redolent, and which makes good + home-brewed 'pop;' the Kolá-nut, here worth a halfpenny and at Bathurst a + penny each; the bitter Kolá, a very different article from the esculent; + skewered <i>rôts</i> of ground-hog, a rodent that can climb, destroy + vegetables, and bite hard if necessary; dried bats and rats, which the + African as well as the Chinese loves, and fish <i>cuits au soleil</i>, + preferred when 'high,' to use the mildest adjective. From the walls hung + dry goods, red woollen nightcaps and comforters, leopards' and monkeys' + skins, and the pelt of an animal which might have been a gazelle. + </p> + <p> + Upon the long counters or tables were displayed the fruits and vegetables. + The former were the custard-apple or sweet-sop (<i>Annona squamosa</i>), + the sour-sop (<i>A. muricata</i>), the Madeiran <i>chirimoya</i>, (<i>A. + cherimolia</i>), citrons, sweet and sour limes, and oranges, sweet and + bitter, grown in the mountains; bananas (<i>M. paradisiaca</i>), the staff + of life on the Gold Coast, and plantains (<i>M. sapientum</i>), the + horse-plantains of India; [Footnote: The West Indian plantain is + apparently unknown or unused] pine-apples more than half wild; mangoes + terribly turpentiney unless the trunk be gashed to let out the gum; + 'monkey-plums' or 'apples' and 'governor's plums.' The common guavas are + rank and harsh, but the 'strawberry guava,' as it is locally called, has a + delicate, subacid flavour not easily equalled. The <i>aguacáte</i>, or + alligator-pear (<i>Persea gratissima</i>), which was <i>not</i> + 'introduced by the Basel missionaries from the West Indies,' is inferior + to the Mexican. Connoisseurs compare its nutty flavour with that of the + filbert, and eat it with pepper, salt, and the sauce of Worcester, whose + fortune was made by the nice conduct of garlic. The papaw [Footnote: The + leaves are rubbed on meat to make it tender, and a drop of milk from the + young fruit acts as a vermifuge.] should be cooked as a vegetable and + stuffed with forced meat; the flesh of the granadilla, which resembles it, + is neglected, while the seeds and their surroundings are flavoured with + sherry and sugar. There is an abundance of the <i>Eriobotrya Japonica,</i> + in Madeira called the loquat and elsewhere the Japanese medlar: it grows + wild in the Brazil, where the people distil from it. [Footnote: I cannot + yet decide whether its birthplace is Japan or South America, whose plants + have now invaded Western India and greatly altered the vegetation.] + </p> + <p> + The chief vegetables were the watercress, grown in private gardens; + onions, large and mild as the Spanish; <i>calavances</i>, or beans; <i>okras</i> + or <i>gumbos</i>, the <i>bhendi</i> of India (<i>Hibiscus esculentus</i>), + the best thickening for soup; <i>bengwas</i>, or egg-plants; yams (<i>Dioscorea + bulbifera</i>) of sorts; bitter Cassada (<i>Jatropha manihot</i>) and the + sweet variety (<i>Jatropha janipha</i>); garlic; kokos (<i>Colocasia + esculenta</i>); potatoes, which the steamers are beginning to bring from + England, not from Madeira; tomatoes like musket-balls, but very sweet and + wholesome; and the <i>batata</i>, (<i>Convolvulus patatus</i>, or sweet + potato), which whilom made 'kissing comfits.' The edibles consisted of' + fufu' (plantain-paste); of 'cankey,' a sour pudding of maize-flour; of + ginger-cake; of cassava-balls finely levigated, and of sweetened 'agadi,' + native bread in lumps, wrapped up in plantain-leaves. Toddy was the usual + drink offered for sale. + </p> + <p> + The butchers' yard, near the market, is no longer a 'ragged and uncleanly + strip of ground.' The long-horned cattle, small, mostly humpless, and + resembling the brindled and dun Alderney cow, are driven in from the Pulo + (Fulah) country. I have described the beef as tasting not unlike what one + imagines a knacker's establishment to produce, and since that time I have + found but scant improvement. It is sold on alternate days with mutton, the + former costing 6<i>d</i>., the latter 9<i>d</i>. a pound. Veal, so bad in + England and so good in Southern Europe, is unknown. The long, lean, hairy + black-and-white sheep do not supply an excellent article. Goats and kids + are plentiful, and the flesh would be good if it had any taste. Hogs + abound, as in Ireland; but no one eats pork, for the best of reasons. The + poultry-list comprises small tough fowls (l0<i>d</i>. to 2<i>s</i>.), + partridges, ducks (2<i>s</i>. 6<i>d</i>.), geese, especially the + spur-winged from Sherbro, and the Muscovy or Manilla duck—a + hard-fleshed, insipid bird, whose old home was South American Paraguay—turkeys + (10<i>s</i>. to 15<i>s</i>.), and the <i>arripiada</i>, or frizzly + chicken, whose feathers stand on end. Milk is scarce and dear. Englishmen + raw in the tropics object to milch-goats and often put up with milch-pigs, + which are said to be here kept for the purpose. I need not tell all the + old tale, 'Goat he go die; pig he go for bush,' &c. Butter (1<i>s</i>. + 8<i>d</i>. in 2-lb. tins) is oily and rancid, with the general look of + cartgrease, in this tropical temperature. It is curious that the Danish + and Irish dairies cannot supply the West African public with a more + toothsome article. + </p> + <p> + Near the meat-market is the double row of houses with shops upon the + ground-floor, not unlike a Banyan's street in outer Bombay, but smaller, + dirtier, meaner far. Here the stranger can buy dry goods and a few + curiosities of Mandenga manufacture—grigris (teraphim or charms), + bows, spears, and saddles and bridles like those of the Somal, both + perfectly useless to white men. The leather, however, is excellent as the + Moroccan, and the work dates from the days when the Saracens pushed + southwards from the Mediterranean to the Niger-valley. Wild animals are at + times offered for sale, but Darkey has heard exaggerated accounts of + prices paid in England for grey parrots, palm-birds, monkeys, + bush-antelopes, mongooses, ground-pigs, and other 'small deer' brought + from the rivulets behind Freetown. Sundry snakes were offered for sale, + the Mandenga, 4 to 5 feet long, with black marks upon a yellow ground, and + the spitting serpent, between 5 and 6 feet long, with a long head, also + dark above and silvery grey below. I doubted the fact of its ejecting + saliva till assured by the Rev. John Milum that two missionaries at Lagos, + Messieurs J. B. Wood and David, had suffered severely from inflamed eyes + after the contemptuous ophine <i>crachat</i>. All along the coast is a + cerastes (horned snake), whose armature is upon the snout and whose short + fat form suggests the puff-adder. The worst is a venomous-looking cobra, + or hooded viper, with flat, cordate head, broad like all the more + ferocious species. It is the only thanatophid whose bite I will not + undertake to cure. We carried on the A.S.S. <i>Winnebah</i>, for the + benefit of Mr. Cross, of Liverpool, a big black ape, which the Sá Leonites + called a 'black chimpanzee.' Though badly wounded she had cost 27<i>l</i>., + and died after a few days of the cage. The young chimpanzees were valued + at 6<i>1</i>. + </p> + <p> + I looked in vain for the old inn, the only thing in the place, a dirty + hovel, kept, in 1862, by a Liberian negro, inscribed 'Lunch-house' on a + sign-board flanked by the Union Jack and the U.S. 'oysters and gridiron.' + Nothing has succeeded to this 'American hotel,' and visitors must depend + upon the hospitality of acquaintances. A Frenchman lately opened a <i>Gasthaus</i>, + and lost no time in becoming bankrupt. There is, however, a manner of + boarding-house kept by a Mrs. King. + </p> + <p> + Turning south from Water Street, we passed the Wilberforce, or rather the + 'Willyfoss,' memorial, a colossal scandal noticed by every visitor at Sá + Leone, a 'folly' which has cost 3,000<i>l</i>. Its condition is exactly + what it was two decads ago—a chapel-like shell of dingy, mouldy + laterite with six lancet-windows and metal pillars. Its case is a + complicated concern. The ecclesiastical authorities wanted it for their + purposes, and so did the secular civilians, and so did the military. At + last the Sá Leonites, hopeless of obtaining a Government grant, have set + on foot a subscription which reached 500<i>l</i>.—some say 700<i>l</i>. + There are, therefore, certain fitful signs of activity, and bricks and + fire-bricks now cumber the ground; but it is all a 'flash in the pan.' The + present purpose is to make it a library, in place of the fine old + collection which went to the dogs. It is also to serve as a lecture-room. + But who is there in the 'African Liverpool' that can lecture? What is he + to lecture about? Who will stand or sit out being lectured? + </p> + <p> + Immediately beyond this grim and grisly reminiscence are the neat + dwelling-house and the store of the Honourable Mr. Sybille Boyle, so named + from a ship and from her captain, R.N., who served in the preventive + squadron about 1824. He is an unofficial member of Council and a marked + exception to the rule of the 'Liberateds.' Everybody has a good word to + say of him. The establishment is the regular colonial, where you can buy + anything between a needle and a sheet-anchor. Bottled ale is not wanting, + and thus steamer-passengers learn to congregate in the back parlour. + </p> + <p> + We then walked to the top of Gloucester Street, expecting to see the Duke + of Edinburgh's memorial. I left it an arch of sticks and timber spanning + this main cross-line, which leads to Government House. The temporary was + to be supplanted by a permanent marble <i>arc de triomphe</i>, + commemorating the auspicious occasion when the black colony first looked + upon a live white Royal Highness. At once 700<i>l</i>. was subscribed, and + only 800<i>l</i>. was wanting; but all those interested in the matter + died, and the 350<i>l</i>. which remained in the chest was, I believe, + transferred to the 'Willyfoss.' The august day is still kept as a public + holiday, for the people are, after their fashion, loyal-mouthed in the + extreme. But the memorial is clean forgotten, and men stare if you ask + about it. Half-way up the street is the post-office, whose white chief is + not a whit more civil than the negro head in 1862. + </p> + <p> + Upon this highly interesting spot we stood awhile to note the + peculiarities of the place and its position. The soil is a loose clay, + deep-red or brown, impregnated with iron and, where unclothed with humus, + cold and infertile, as the spontaneous aloe shows. The subsoil is + laterite, also highly ferruginous. Soft and working well with the axe + while it retains the quarry-water, it soon hardens by exposure; and, thus + weathered, it forms the best and ugliest of the local building materials. + Embedded in the earth's surface are blocks and boulders apparently + erratic, dislodged or washed down from the upper heights, where similar + masses are seen. Many are scattered, as if by an eruption; others lie in + slab or dome shape upon the shore. The shape is usually spheroidal, and + the material hypersthene (a hard and close-grained bluish granite) or + diorite, greenstone-trap blackened by sun and rain. In the few cuttings of + the higher levels I afterwards remarked that detached 'hardheads' are + puddinged into the friable laterite; but I nowhere found the granitic + floor-rock protruding above ground. The boulders are treated by ditching + and surrounding with a hot fire for forty-eight hours; cold water, not + vinegar, is then poured upon them, and causes the heated material suddenly + to contract and fracture, when it can easily be removed. Magnetic iron + also occurs, and specimens have been sent to England; but veins have not + yet been discovered. + </p> + <p> + Our walk had furnished us with a tolerable idea of 'the city's' plan, + without referring to the printed affair. Fronting north with westing, it + is divided into squares, blocks, and insulae, after the fashion of a + chessboard. This is one of the oldest as well as the newest mode of + distributions. The temples of the classical gods, being centrally + situated, required for general view broad, straight approaches. From + Washington to Buenos Ayres the modern cities of the New World have + reverted to this ancient system without other reason but a love of + regularity and simplicity. Here the longer streets flank the sea and the + shorter run at right angles up the inner slopes. Both are bright red lines + worn in the vegetation between the houses. The ribbons of green are the + American or Bahama grass; fine, silky, and creeping along the ground, it + is used to stuff mattresses, and it forms a good substitute for turf. When + first imported it was neglected, cut away, and nearly killed out; now it + is encouraged, because its velvety plots relieve the glaring red surface, + it keeps off the 'bush,' and it clears the surface of all other + vegetation. Looking upon the city below, we were surprised to see the + dilapidation of the tenements. Some have tumbled down; others were + tumbling down; many of those standing were lumber or board shanties called + 'quarter-frames' and 'ground-floors;' sundry large piles rose grisly and + fire-charred, and the few good houses looked quite modern. But what can be + expected in a place where Europeans never expect to outstay the second + year, and where Africans, who never yet worked without compulsion, cannot + legally be compelled to work? + </p> + <p> + We then walked up to Government House, the Fort Thornton of old charts, + whose roof, seen from the sea, barely tops the dense curtain of tree and + shrubbery that girds and hangs around it. Passing under a cool and shady + avenue of mangoes and figs, and the archway, guarded by a porter's lodge + and a detachment of the three hundred local police, we came in sight of + the large, rambling residence, built piecemeal, like many an English + country-house. There is little to recommend it save the fine view of the + sea and the surrounding shrubbery-ground. I can well understand how, with + the immense variety of flower and fruit suddenly presented to his eyes, + the gentleman fresh from England required six months to recover the free + and full use of all his senses and faculties. + </p> + <p> + A policeman—no longer a Zouave of the West Indian corps—took + in our cards, and we introduced ourselves to Captain A. E. Havelock, + 'Governor-in-Chief of Sierra Leone and the Gambia.' He is No. 47 since + Captain Day, R.N., first ruled in A.D. 1803. I had much to say to him + about sundry of his predecessors. Captain Havelock, who dates only from + 1881, has the reputation of being slightly 'black.' The Neri and the + Bianchi factions here represent the Buffs and Blues of a land further + north. He is yet in the heyday of popularity, when, in the consecrated + phrase, the ruler 'gains golden opinions.' But colonial judgments are + fickle, and mostly in extremes. After this smiling season the weather + lowers, the storm breaks, and all is elemental rage, when from being a + manner of demigod the unhappy ruler gradually becomes one of the 'meanest + and basest of men.' <i>Absit omen!</i> + </p> + <p> + We returned at sunset to Government House and spent a pleasant evening. + The 'smokes' had vanished, and with them the frowse and homeliness of + morning. The sun, with rays of lilac red, set over a panorama of townlet, + land, and sea, to which distance added many a charm. Mingling afar with + the misty horizon, the nearer waters threw out, by their golden and + silvery sheen, the headlands, capes, and tongues stretching in long + perspective below, while the Sugarloaf, father of mountains, rose in + solitary grandeur high above his subject hills. On the nearer slope of + Signal Hill we saw the first of the destructive bush-burnings. They are + like prairie-fires in these lands, and sometimes they gird Freetown with a + wall of flame. Complexion is all in all to Sá Leone, and she showed for a + few moments a truly beautiful prospect. + </p> + <p> + The Governor has had the courage to bring out Mrs. Havelock, and she has + had the courage to stand firm against a rainy season. The climate is + simply the worst on the West Coast, despite the active measures of + sanitation lately taken, the Department of Public Health, the ordinances + of the Colonial Government in 1879, and the excellent water with which the + station is now provided. On a clear sunny day the charnel-house, I repeat, + is lovely, <i>mais c'est la mort</i>; it is the terrible beauty of death. + Mrs. Melville says, with full truth, 'I felt amidst all the glory of + tropic sunlight and everlasting verdure a sort of ineffable dread + connected with the climate.' Even when leaving the 'pestilent shore' she + was 'haunted by the shadowy presence.' This is womanly, but a little + reflection must suggest it to man. + </p> + <p> + Even half a century ago opinions differed concerning the climate of the + colony. Dr. Madden could obtain only contradictory accounts. [Footnote: + See <i>Wanderings in West Africa</i>, for details, vol. i. p. 275.] There + is a tradition of a Chief Justice applying to the Colonial Office for + information touching his pension, the clerks could not answer him, and he + presently found that none of his predecessors had lived to claim it. Mr. + Judge Rankin was of opinion that its ill-fame was maintained by 'policy on + the one hand and by ignorance of truth on the other.' But Mr. Judge died a + few days after. So with Dr. Macpherson, of the African Colonial Corps. It + appears ill-omened to praise the place; and, after repeated visits to it, + I no longer wonder that the 'Medical Gazette' of April 14, 1838, affirmed, + 'No statistical writer has yet tried to give the minutest fraction + representing the chance of a surgeon's return from Sierra Leone.' + </p> + <p> + On the other hand, Mrs. Falconbridge, whose husband was sent out from + England on colonial business in 1791, and who wrote the first 'lady's + book' upon the Coast, pointed out at the beginning that sickness was due + quite as much to want of care as to the climate. In 1830 Mr. John Cormack, + merchant and resident since 1800, stated to a Committee of the House of + Commons that out of twenty-six Europeans in his service seven had died, + seven had remained in Africa, and of twelve who returned to England all + save two or three were in good health. We meet with a medical opinion as + early as 1836 that 'not one-fourth of the deaths results merely from + climate.' Cases of old residents are quoted—for instance, Governor + Kenneth Macaulay, a younger brother of Zachary Macaulay, who resisted it + for twenty years; Mr. Reffall for fifteen years, and sundry other + exceptions. + </p> + <p> + In this section of the nineteenth century it is the custom to admit that + the climate is bad and dangerous; but that it has often been made the + scape-goat of European recklessness and that much of the sickness and + death might be avoided. The improvement is attributed to the use of + quinine, unknown to the early settlers, and much is expected from + sanatoria and from planting the blue gum (<i>Eucalyptus globulus</i>), + which failed, owing to the carelessness and ignorance of the planters. A + practical appreciation of the improvement is shown by the Star Life + Assurance Society, which has reduced to five per cent. its former very + heavy rates. Lastly, the bad health of foreigners is accounted for by the + fact that they leave their own country for a climate to which they are not + accustomed, where the social life and the habits of the people are so + different from their own, and yet that they continue doing all things as + in England. + </p> + <p> + But how stand the facts at the white man's Red Grave? Mrs. Havelock and + the wife of the officer commanding the garrison are the only Europeans in + the colony, whereas a score of years ago I remember half a dozen. Even the + warmest apologisers for the climate will not expose their wives to it, + preferring to leave them at home or in Madeira. During last March there + were five deaths of white men—that is, more than a third—out + of a total of 163. What would the worst of English colonies say to a + mortality of 350 per thousand per annum? Of course we are told that it is + exceptional, and the case of the insurance societies is quoted. But they + forget to tell us the reason. A mail steamer now calls at Freetown once a + week, and the invalid is sent home by the first opportunity. Similarly a + silly East Indian statistician proved, from the rare occurrence of fatal + cases, Aden to be one of the healthiest stations under 'the Company.' He + ignored the fact that even a scratch justified the surgeons in shipping a + man off on sick leave. + </p> + <p> + I quite agree with the view of Mr. Frederick Evans: [Footnotes: <i>The + Colonies and India</i>, Dec. 24, 1881.] 'Let anyone anxious to test the + nature of the climate go to Kew Gardens and sit for a week or two in one + of the tropical houses there; he may be assured that he will by no means + feel in robust health when he leaves.' The simile is perfect. Europeans + living in Africa like Europeans as regards clothing and diet are, I + believe, quite right. We tried grass-cloth, instead of broadcloth, in + Western India, when general rheumatism was the result. In the matter of + meat and drink the Englishman cannot do better than adhere to his old mode + of life as much as possible, with a few small modifications. Let him + return to the meal-times of Queen Elizabeth's day— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Sunrise breakfast, sun high dinner, + Sundown sup, makes a saint of a sinner— +</pre> + <p> + and especially shun the 9 A.M. breakfast, which leads to a heavy tiffin at + 1 P.M., the hottest and most trying section of the day. With respect to + diet, if he drinks a bottle of claret in England let him reduce himself in + Africa to a pint 'cut' with, water; if he eats a pound of meat he should + be contented with eight ounces and an extra quantity of fruit and + vegetables. In medicine let him halve his cathartics and double his dose + of tonics. + </p> + <p> + From its topographical as well as its geographical position the climate of + Freetown is oppressively hot, damp, and muggy. The annual mean is 79.5° + Fahr.; the usual temperature of the dwellings is from 78° to 86° Fahr. Its + year is divided into two seasons, the Dries and the Rains. The wet season + begins in May and ends with November; for the last five years the average + downfall has been 155 inches, five times greater than in rainy England. + These five months are times of extreme discomfort. The damp heat, despite + charcoal fires in the houses and offices, mildews everything—clothes, + weapons, books, man himself. It seems to exhaust all the positive + electricity of the nervous system, and it makes the patient feel utterly + miserable. It also fills the air with noxious vapours during the short + bursts of sunshine perpendicularly rained down, and breeds a hateful brood + of what the Portuguese call immundicies—a foul 'insect-youth.' Only + the oldest residents prefer the wet to the dry months. The Rains end in + the sickliest season of the year, when the sun, now getting the upper + hand, sucks the miasmatic vapours from the soil and distributes them to + mankind in the shape of ague and fever, dysentery, and a host of diseases. + The Dries last from November to April, often beginning with tornadoes and + ending with the Harmatan, smokes or scirocco. The climate is then not + unlike Bombay, except that it lacks the mild East Indian attempt at a + winter, and that barometric pressure hardly varies. + </p> + <p> + During my last visit to Sá Leone I secured a boat, and, accompanied by Dr. + Lovegrove, of the A.S.S. <i>Armenian</i>, set out to inspect the lower bed + of the Rokel and the islands which it waters. Passing along Fourah Bay, we + remarked in the high background a fine brook, cold, clear, and pure, + affording a delicious bath; it is almost dry in the Dries, and swells to a + fiumara during the Rains. Its extent was then a diminutive rivulet + tumbling some hundreds of feet down a shelving bed into Granville Bay, the + break beyond Fourah. On the way we passed several Timni boats, carrying a + proportionately immense amount of 'muslin.' Of old the lords of the land, + they still come down the river with rice and cocoa-nuts from the Kwiah + (Quiah) country, from Porto Loko, from Waterloo, and other places up + stream. They not unfrequently console themselves for their losses by a + little hard fighting; witness their defence of the Modúka stockade in + 1861, when four officers and twenty-three of our men were wounded. + [Footnote: <i>Wanderings in West Africa</i>, vol. i pp. 246-47.] Some of + the boats are heavy row-barges with a framework of sticks for a + stern-awning; an old Mandenga, with cottony beard, sits at each helm. They + row <i>simplices munditiis</i>. At Sá Leone men are punished for not + wearing overalls, and thus the 'city' becomes a rag-fair. The Timni men + are dark negroids with the slightest infusion of Semitic blood; some had + coated their eyebrows and part of their faces with chalk for ophthalmia. + They appeared to be merry fellows enough; and they are certainly the only + men in the colony who ever pretend to work. A Government official harshly + says of them, 'I would willingly ascribe to the nearest of our neighbours + and their representatives in Freetown, of whom there are many, some + virtues if they possessed any; but, unfortunately, taken as a people, they + have been truly described by able and observant writers as dishonest and + depraved.' Mr. Secretary evidently forgets the 'civilising' and infectious + example of Sá Leone, <i>versus</i> the culture of El-Islam. + </p> + <p> + Arrived at Bishopscourt, we disembarked and visited the place. Here in old + days 'satisfaction' was given and taken; and a satirical medico declared + that forty years of <i>rencontres</i> had not produced a single casualty. + He was more witty than wise; I heard of one gentleman who had been + 'paraded' and 'winged.' Old Granville Town, which named the bay, has + completely disappeared; the ruins of the last house are gone from the + broad grassy shelf upon which the first colonists built their homes. + </p> + <p> + From Granville Bay the traveller may return by the 'Kissy Road.' Once it + was the pet promenade, the Corso, the show-walk of Freetown; now it has + become a Tottenham Court Road, to which Water, Oxford, and Westmoreland + Streets are preferred. The vegetation becomes splendid, running up to the + feet of the hills, which swell suddenly from the shelf-plain. The approach + to Sá Leone is heralded by a row of shops even smaller and meaner than + those near the market-place. There are whole streets of these + rabbit-hutches, whose contents 'mammy,' when day is done, carries home in + a 'bly'-basket upon her head, possibly leaving 'titty' to mount guard upon + the remnant. The stock in trade may represent a capital of 4<i>l</i>., and + the profits 1<i>s</i>. a day. Yet 'daddy' styles himself merchant, gets + credit, and spends his evenings conversing and smoking cigars—as a + gentleman should—with his commercial friends. + </p> + <p> + Passing the easternmost end of the peninsula, and sailing along the Bullom + ('lowland') shores, we verified Dr. Blyden's assertion that this 'home of + fevers' shows no outward and visible sign of exceeding unhealthiness. The + soil is sandy, the bush is comparatively thin, and the tall trees give it + the aspect of a high and dry land. We then turned north-east and skirted + Tasso Island, a strip of river-holm girt with a wall of mangroves. It had + an old English fort, founded in 1695; the factors traded with the Pulo + (Fulah) country for slaves, ivory, and gold. It was abandoned after being + taken by Van Ruyter, when he restored to the Dutch West Indian Company the + conquests of Commodore Holmes. The rich soil in 1800 supported a fine + cotton plantation, and here Mr. Heddle kept a 'factory.' The villagers + turned out to gaze, not habited like the Wolofs of Albreda, but clad in + shady hats and seedy pantaloons. + </p> + <p> + After clearing Tasso we advanced merrily, and at the end of two hours' and + a half actual sailing and pulling we landed upon Bance, which some call + Bence's Island. A ruined jetty with two rusty guns, buried like posts, + projected from the sand-strip; and a battery, where nine cannon still + linger, defended the approach. There is a similar beach to the north-east, + with admirable bathing in the tepid, brackish waves and a fine view of the + long leonine Sierra. The outlying rocks, capped with guano, look like + moored boats and awnings. The sea-breeze was delicious; the lapping, + dazzling stream made sweet music, and the huge cotton-trees with laminar + buttresses gave most grateful shade. + </p> + <p> + The island resembles Gambian James multiplied by four or five. Behind the + battery are the ruins of a huge building, like the palaces of old Goa, + vast rooms, magazines, barracoons, underground vaults, and all manner of + contrivances for the good comfort and entertainment of the slaver and the + slave. A fine promenade of laterite, which everywhere about Sá Leone + builds the best of roads, and a strip of jungle rich in the <i>Guilandina + Bonduc</i>, whose medicinal properties are well known to the people, leads + to the long-deserted graveyard. We pass an old well with water thirty-five + feet deep, and enter the <i>enceinte</i>, that contains four tombs; the + marble tablets, which would soon disappear in India for the benefit of + curry-stuffs, here remain intact. One long home was tenanted by 'Thomas + Knight, Esquire, born in the county of Surrey, who acted eighteen years as + agent for the proprietors of this island, and who died on August 27 of + 1785,' beloved, of course, by everybody. Second came the 'honourable + sea-Captain Hiort, born in 1746, married in 1771 to the virtuous lady + Catherine Schive, and died in 1783, leaving two good-natured daughters, + which his soul is in the hands of God.' The third was Mr. John Tittle, who + departed life in 1776; and the last was Captain Josiah Dory, a 'man of + upright character,' who migrated to the many in 1765. + </p> + <p> + Barbot (ii. 1) describes Bance's Island as defended by a small fort on a + steep rock of difficult access, ascended only by a sort of stairs cut in + the stone, and acting as the store-house of the Royal African Company. The + low walls of lime and ashlar had a round 'flanker' with five guns, a + curtain with embrasures for four large cannon, and a platform just before + it for six guns, all well mounted. The only good buildings were the + slave-booths. Winterbottom, who places it over eighteen miles above St. + George's Bay (<i>Baie de France</i>) and north of Tasso Island, thus + describes Bance: 'This is a small barren island considerably elevated, + with a dry, gravelly soil; but being placed as it were in the midst of an + archipelago of low marshy islands, the breeze, from whatever quarter it + blows, is impregnated with moisture and marsh effluvia, which render it + sickly. The air also is very much heated, and the thermometer generally + stands 4° or 5° higher on this island than it does at Freetown.' + </p> + <p> + We regained the steamer shortly after dark, delighted with our picnic and + resolved always to take the same advantage of all halts. In those days the + interior was most interesting. The rivers Scarcies, Nunez, and Ponga were + unknown; the equestrian Susu tribe had never been visited; and, the Timbo + country, the great centre whence arise the Niger, the Rokel, and the + Senegal, awaited exploration. + </p> + <h3> + END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. + </h3> + +</div><!--end chapter--> + +<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TO THE GOLD COAST FOR GOLD ***</div> +<div style='text-align:left'> + +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> +Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will +be renamed. +</div> + +<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> +Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright +law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, +so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United +States without permission and without paying copyright +royalties. 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