Part 9

The climate of the Canaries is remarkable for the striking contrasts prevailing between the E. and the W. groups on the one hand, and between the lower and the higher levels on the other. In the almost treeless islands of _Lanzarote_ and _Fuerteventura_ (62 M. to the N.W. of Cape Juby) years sometimes elapse without rainfall, while the dreaded _tiempo del sur_, the hot and extremely dry wind from the Sahara, covers them with dust and sand and often brings swarms of locusts. Even more disastrous for agriculture are the sandy dunes or coast-hills, thrown up by the currents off the African shores, the sand of which is driven inland by violent N. winds. The _Gran Canaria_, on the other hand, though by no means free from the locust pest, holds an intermediate position in point of climate and scenery between the more continental E. group of islands and the almost wholly oceanic W. group. Owing to the influence of the gulf-stream (p. 18) and the zone of high air-pressure prevalent in the W. Canaries in winter, the N. coast of _Teneriffe_ and the islands of _Gomera_ and _Palma_ enjoy a remarkably mild and equable winter climate (the mean temperature of winter at Puerto Orotava being 60° Fahr. and the minimum 51°). In the region tempered by the trade-wind clouds, which gather at a height varying from 2300 to 5000 ft. above the sea, even the summer temperature is quite bearable; but on the high mountains, above the cloud-zone, the air is extremely dry, and the burning heat of the day is suddenly followed, as in the tropics, by a severe chill. The rainfall at Santa Cruz de Tenerife averages 12 inches, at Santa Cruz de la Palma 14 in., at Puerto Orotava 17 in., at Laguna 22 inches. The lowest snow-line is about 3300 ft.

The vegetation of the W. islands, the Eldorado of botanists, surpasses that of Madeira in variety, though not in luxuriance; but it is confined to the forest-zone in the region of the trade-wind clouds, and to the low ground irrigated with the aid of these clouds, where the soil consists of disintegrated diabase, tufa, and lava. On the other hand large tracts of land, especially in the Gran Canaria and on the S. and E. coasts of Teneriffe, are entirely destitute of vegetation, even in winter, while in summer the verdure of the cultivated land is often covered with a mantle of grey dust.

The Canary Islands, together with Madeira and the Azores, have been described as a region ‘where the tertiary flora, destroyed in Europe during the glacier epoch, has survived and developed, at least since the pliocene age, in insular solitude’. To the primæval African flora, the same as that of the original ‘diabasic Canaries’, belong in particular the stately Canary pine (Pinus canariensis), several species of laurel, such as the Laurus canariensis, the _viñatigo_ (Persea indica), the aloe, the oleander-leaved Kleinia neriifolia, the cactus-like euphorbias, the _balo_ (Plocama pendula), and the famous dragon-tree (Dracæna Draco). Besides the endemic trees and plants are others of very early origin, the seeds of which were originally brought over from India or America by the gulf-stream. During the Spanish period countless other plants, now cosmopolitan, were imported from America, fruit-trees from Europe, and shrubs from the Mediterranean, which last, favoured by the climate, develop into bushy trees. In the gardens, which are mostly enclosed by high walls, we are struck with the gorgeous wealth of bougainvilleas, gloxinias, poinsettias, bignonias, daturas, walbergias, passifloras, and many other flowers. In the lower and more tropical districts grow, side by side, bananas (_plátanos_), tomatoes, sugar-cane (_caña de azúcar_), yams (Span. _ñame_), tobacco, oranges and lemons, prickly-pear (Opuntia Tuna), coffee-plants, Peruvian pepper-trees (_pimenteros_), E. Indian bread-fruit, mango and camphor trees, eucalypti, cork-trees, tamarisks (_tarajales_), araucarias, magnolias, fig-trees, Japanese medlars, palms (about 25 varieties), notably the superb Canary palm (Phœnix canariensis or Jubæ Webb), the date-palm (p. 171), the royal palm (Oreodoxa regia), and, in Palma, the cocoa-nut palm. The vineyards, yielding the famous _Malmsey_ (p. 19) and _Vidueño_ wines, rise on the S. side of Teneriffe from the lower land to a height of 4070 ft. above the sea-level. In the upper cultivated regions the chief crops and fruits are wheat, potatoes, lupins, maize, chestnuts, walnuts, and, among other European fruits, peaches. On the rocky sides of the barrancos occur everywhere the aloe, the cactus-like Euphorbia canariensis (Span. _cardón_), the tabayba (Euphorbia Regis Jubæ), the orchilla lichen (Roccella tinctoria; woad), and Sempervivum (house-leek; some 60 varieties). At the bottom of the barrancos and in the cloud-region we encounter beautiful underwood, composed of evergreen myrtles and laurels, the strawberry-tree (Arbutus canariensis), ericas, stemless ferns, and a few climbing plants. Above the level of the trade-wind clouds we may still meet with the cistus, the Canary pine (up to 7050 ft. above the sea), the white Cytisus proliferus (Span. _escobón_), and the Adenocarpus frankenoides (Span. _codeso_), a kind of gorse. The Alpine retama (Spartocytisus supranubius; Span. _retama blanca_), a kind of broom, the commonest plant in the Cañadas, grows on the Peak up to a height of 10,300 ft.; but a few mosses and lichens alone reach the summit.

The fauna of the Canaries is remarkably poor. The characteristic bird is the canary (Serinus canariensis), which, as in Madeira, is of a greenish-grey colour, while the yellow canaries are imported. Mosquitoes, especially on the E. and S. coasts of the islands, fleas, and flies, including some whose bite is very unpleasant, abound in summer. The more important fish are cod, tunny, and sardines. Chief among domestic animals is the goat. Camels were introduced from the continent in 1405.

The islands, which were probably known to the Carthaginians and Greeks, were for a time occupied by king Juba II. (p. 244) with a view to the manufacture of purple dye from the juice of the Orchilla (see above). At that period the population consisted chiefly of the so-called _Guanches_ (from _guan_, son, and _Chenerfe_, Teneriffe), whose culture down to the middle ages was still that of the flint age, while their inscriptions are Libyan in character. In 1402–96 the islands were conquered, first by the Normans, under Jean de Betancourt, at the instance of the kings of Castile, and later by the Spaniards, with the result that the Guanches, in spite of their heroic resistance, were largely exterminated or sold into slavery. A few survivors still lingered in their cave-dwellings, as at Atalaya (p. 46) and Artenara (p. 46), but others intermarried with Moorish immigrants (1405), and, in the Spanish period, with Norman, S. Spanish, and Irish settlers. Their language has been extinct since the 17th century. A few peculiarities of the present population, which somewhat resembles that of S. Spain and of the W. Indies, survive in the costume of the peasants, consisting of a white blanket (_matta_) wrapped round the body like a shepherd’s cloak, in their quaint old pottery, in the whistling language of Gomera, and in the national _gofio_, a kind of porridge of maize and wheat. The Grand Canary contains also several villages of negroes, descendants of the slaves on the sugar-plantations. Among the foreigners there are 2100 English, 600 French, and 600 Germans.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Puerto de la Luz near Las Palmas, the chief ports of the Canaries, as also Puerto Orotava (p. 39), Santa Cruz de la Palma, and others, all declared free harbours in 1852, are rising places and compete with Madeira in provisioning the ocean steamers. The trade is in British, Spanish, and German hands. The chief exports are bananas, tomatoes, early potatoes and other vegetables, and wine. The only industry of any importance is the embroidery and lace-making of Teneriffe (‘calado’ embroidery after Mexican patterns, rosette-work introduced from Paraguay, the rich Vilaflor lace, and embroidery in relief from Venetian and Irish models). The cochineal insect (living on the prickly-pear plant) was introduced from Honduras in 1826, and for many years its culture yielded large profits to the islanders, but the discovery of aniline dyes has well-nigh ruined this industry.

The best SEASON for a tour in the Canaries is from the beginning of March to the end of May. The best winter-quarters for invalids are to be found at Puerto Orotava or the more remote Güimar in Teneriffe, and at the Monte in the Grand Canary. Good quarters are obtainable also at Santa Cruz and Laguna in Teneriffe, and at Las Palmas in the Grand Canary, where most of the best hotels are in the English style, and English money circulates freely. The Spanish ‘fondas’, where the national currency is in vogue, fall short of modern requirements, while the country inns are mostly wretched taverns.

The chief public conveyances in the islands are, in Teneriffe, the electric tramway from Santa Cruz to Tacoronte, and in the Grand Canary the harbour tramway at Las Palmas; the only others are the dirty and often crowded _coches públicos_, the very expensive four-seated vehicles, and the _tartanas_ or gigs. For mountain excursions horses or mules are used, the _arriero_ or attendant serving as a guide.

Among numerous BOOKS on the Canary Islands are _Samler Brown’s_ guide (see p. 20); _Whitford’s_ The Canary Islands as a Winter Resort (London, 1890; 7_s._ 6_d._); _Ward’s_ Vale of Orotava (London, 1903); _C. Piazzi Smyth’s_ Teneriffe, an Astronomer’s Experiment (London, 1858); and _Olivia Stone’s_ Tenerife and its Six Satellites (London, 1889).

* * * * *

=Teneriffe=, Span. _Tenerife_, the largest and most populous of the islands, 51½ M. long, 31 M. in breadth, and 781 sq. M. in area, contains about 140,000 inhab., mostly living on the N. coast. The island is composed of three mountain-ranges, chiefly of eruptive rock of a basaltic character, which have been welded together, probably since the miocene period, by great phonolithic and trachytic eruptions. These are the _Anaga Mts._ on the N.E., the _Teno Mts._ on the N.W., and the _Adeje Mts._ in the Bandas del Sur. Beyond the lofty plain of Laguna the Anaga range is prolonged to the Llano de la Maja by the massive _Cumbre_. In the centre of the island, from the enormous crater-ring of Las Cañadas, and high above the trade-wind clouds, towers the mighty _Peak of Teneriffe_, or _Pico de Teide_ (12,175 ft.), visible for 100 M. around.

Approaching the island from the N., we first sight the sombre and wildly fissured _Anaga Mts._ (3406 ft.). We steer past the lighthouse (Faro; 811 ft.) a little to the N.W. of the _Punta del Drago_, whose light is visible for 40 M., then skirt the rocky E. coast, with the _Punta de Anaga_ and _Punta Antequera_, and at length cast anchor in the open roads of the bay of _Santa Cruz_.

=Santa Cruz de Tenerife.=—ARRIVAL. Passengers are conveyed in steam-launches (_falúas_) or in rowing-boats to the pier (Muelle; Pl. C, 2; landing or embarkation 1 peseta, each trunk 75 c.). The hotels, which send their porters on board, charge 3–5 shillings for the landing and conveyance to the hotel of each passenger and his luggage.

=Hotels= (often crowded in Feb., March, and April; mostly closed in summer). *GRAND-HÔT. QUISISANA (Pl. a; A, 1), on the hill-side (about 330 ft.) to the N.W. of the town, 1 M. from the pier, with fine views, R. from 3_s._, B. 2, déj. 3, D. 5, pens. 12½–15_s._ (but more in Feb. and March); *PINO DE ORO (Pl. b; B, 1), to the N. of the town, ¾ M. from the pier, also finely situated, with a beautiful old park, pens. 8–12_s._; HOT. BATTENBERG (Pl. c; A, 2), in the Paseo de Ronda, below Quisisana. pens. from 9_s._—CAMACHO’S ENGLISH HOTEL (Pl. d; B, 2), Calle San Francisco 11, pens. 9–12_s._; HOT. OROTAYA (dépendance of the ‘Humboldt Kurhaus’ at Puerto Orotava, p. 39), Plaza de la Constitución, R. 3–6, B. 1, déj. 3, D. 4½, pens. 8–12½_s._; ALEXANDRA (Pl. e, B2; Olsen’s), Calle de Alfonso Treceno, pens. from 7½_s._, commended; VICTORIA (Pl. f, B 2; Holmström’s), Plaza de la Constitución, pens. 6–8_s._; the last four rather plain; wine is always an extra. Table-water, _Agua Firgas_.

=Cafés.= _Cuatro Naciones_, _Europa_, and _Belge_, all in the Plaza de la Constitución.

=Theatre.= _Teatro Isabel Segunda_ (Pl. B, 3), adjoining the market.—BULL RING (Plaza de Toros; Pl. A, 2), in the Paseo de Ronda; ‘corridas’. mostly in May.—MUSIC in the Plaza de la Constitución (Pl. B, C, 3) and the Plaza del Príncipe Alfonso (Pl. B, 2) alternately, thrice weekly, 8.30 to 10.30 p.m.

=Shops.= TENERIFFE HANDIWORK (p. 32): _Bazar Nivaria_, Calle San Francisco 11; _Bazar Taoro_, corner of Calle San Francisco and Calle San José. Indian dealers offer defective goods (bargaining necessary).—BOOKSELLER: _Benítez_, Calle San Francisco 6.—TINNED FOODS: _Quintero & Co._, Calle San Francisco 2.—PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS: _Lohr_, Calle San Francisco 34; _Espinosa_, Plaza de la Constitución.

=Bankers.= _Hamilton & Co._, Calle de la Marina 15; _Miller, Wolfson, & Co._, same street, No. 1; _Ahlers_, same street, No. 31; _Dehesa_, Calle de Alfonso Treceno 64.

=Steamboat Agents.= _Hamilton & Co._ (see above), for the Peninsular & Oriental Co., Union Castle, Aberdeen (Rennie’s), Aberdeen (Thompson’s), Shaw, Savill, & Albion, New Zealand, Hamburg-American, White Star, and other lines; _Teneriffe Coaling Co._, for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co.; _Ahlers_ (see above), for the Hamburg & South American, German East African, and Woermann lines; _Elder, Dempster, & Co._, Calle de Alfonso Treceno 84, for the Belge Maritime du Congo, the Italian ‘La Veloce’, the Société de Transports Maritimes, and the Vapores Correos Interinsulares Canarios; _Viuda é Hijos de Juan de la Roche_, Calle de Alfonso Treceno 35, for the Compañía Trasatlántica; _Miller, Wolfson, & Co._ (see above), for the Servicio de Pailebotes.

=Post & Telegraph Office= (Correos y Telégrafos; Pl. 3, C, 2), Marina.

=Physicians.= _Dr. Otto_, Santa Rita, and others.—CHEMIST. _Serra_, Calle de Alfonso Treceno 7.—BATHS (baños), Plaza de la Constitución.—SEA BATHS (poor) at the pier; better at the Club Tinerfeño.

=Cabs= (‘coches de punta’; stands in the Plaza de la Constitución and the Plaza San Francisco): drive in the town, each pers. 50 c. (at night one-half more); per hour 1–2 pers. 2 pesetas, each addit. pers. 50 c.; to San Andrés 10 p., to Tegueste or Tacoronte 20, to Güimar 30, to Puerto Orotava 35, to Icod de los Vinos 60 p. (but bargain advisable).

=Electric Tramway= from the Alameda de la Marina (Pl. C, 2) through the Calle de Alfonso Treceno, viâ Cuesta and Laguna (1 hr.; fare 1 p. 30 c.; change carriages), to Tacoronte (1¾ hr.; fare 2 p. 60 c.). Cars for Laguna hourly from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; to Tacoronte every two hours till 5 p.m. The cars starting at 7 and 3, in connection with the diligence mentioned at p. 37, are usually crowded; motor-omnibus from Tacoronte to Puerto Orotava, see p. 37.

CONSULS. British, _J. E. Crocker_; vice-consul, _R. C. Griffiths_.—United States, S. BERLINER.

ENGLISH CHURCH in the upper part of the town; service in winter.

ENGLISH CLUB (also for temporary members), adjoining the Governor’s Palace (p. 35).

_Santa Cruz de Tenerife_, a fortified seaport with 30,300 inhab., and the capital of the island since 1821 when it superseded Laguna, lies picturesquely in 28° 28′ N. lat. and 16° 15′ W. long., on a bay 3 M. broad between the _Valle del Bufadero_ (p. 36) and the _Barranco de Santos_, below the spurs of the Anaga Mts. and the plateau of Laguna. Its beautiful _patios_, or courtyards, recall those of Seville and the flat roofs with their _miradores_, or belvederes, are reminiscent of Cadiz. The harbour is entered by 3500–4000 vessels per annum. At _Regla_, to the S. of the town, is a wireless telegraph station.

The town was heroically defended in 1797 against the British fleet under Nelson, who lost his arm here and had to retire after heavy loss. Near the old _Citadel_ (now Cuartel Almeida; Pl. C, 1) stands the saluting battery. The old _Castillo de San Cristóbal_ (Pl. C, 2, 3) now contains public offices.

From the Alameda de la Marina (Pl. C, 2), near the landing-place, we soon reach the PLAZA DE LA CONSTITUCIÓN (Pl. B, C, 3) to the S.W., with the _Governor’s Palace_ (Gobierno Civil; Pl. 5, B 2; fine patio), the club-houses, and the cafés (p. 34). On the side next the sea rises the _Triunfo de la Candelaria_, a column in honour of the Virgin, the tutelary saint of the Canaries (p. 36), erected by the Spaniards as a memorial of their victories, with four Guanche kings as worshippers.

From the S. side of the Plaza de la Constitución the Calle de la Cruz Verde leads to the IGLESIA DE LA CONCEPCIÓN (Pl. B, 3), the principal church in the town, consisting of a nave with double aisles, and situated close to the Barranco de Santos. It was founded early in the 16th cent., but was rebuilt after a fire in 1652. The tower, 181 ft. high, affords an extensive panorama.

INTERIOR. The central chapel of the aisle on the left contains two flags captured from Nelson’s fleet (see above), of which the town is very proud. Here too, by the high-altar, is a stone cross originally erected outside by Al. Fernandez de Lugo (p. 37) in 1494 as a memorial of his victories. The pulpit, in Italian marble, is by _Matias Rodriguez_ (18th cent.). The burial chapel of the artist (entered to the right of the high-altar) contains several pretty, but unfinished carvings in juniper-wood.

Near this is the _Mercado_ (Pl. B, 3), a covered market for fruit and other commodities (worth visiting in the early morning).

From the N.W. angle of the Plaza de la Constitución the Calle San Francisco leads, a few yards farther on, to the church of _San Francisco_ (Pl. 6, B, 2), built in 1680. The tower, inlaid with _azulejos_, or ornamental tiles, dates from 1777.

The old Franciscan monastery contains at present the _Museum_ with fine art and anthropological collections (new building being erected near the Ayuntamiento, Pl. 1, B 2). Beyond it lies the Plaza del Príncipe Alfonso (Pl. B, 2).

The long CALLE DE ALFONSO TRECENO (Pl. B, A, 2), or Calle de Castillo, the main street, connects the Plaza de la Constitución with the pretty Plaza de Weyler (Pl. A, 2). The _Paseo de los Coches_ and the _Paseo de Ronda_ (Pl. A, B, 2, 1), a charming promenade bordered with pepper-trees, oleanders, and geraniums, lead thence to the N. through the villa quarter (Barrio de Ensanche).

EXCURSIONS ON THE E. COAST (cabs, see p. 34). From the Paseo de Ronda we may go past the Pino de Oro Hotel (p. 33), or by the Hotel Quisisana, to the _Conduit_ (llevada), skirt this and the right bank of the _Barranco de Almeida_, and thus reach the (1 hr.) tunnels, or we may continue our walk to the (3 hrs.) _Aguere Springs_.—Starting from the harbour the fine coast-road leads to the N.E. to the mouth of the _Valle del Bufadero_, which lies at the foot of the Anaga Mts. and is defended by a fort; from here we may go on, crossing some barrancos and skirting the rocks, to the dirty fishing-village of (5 M.) _San Andrés_ (poor inn). Thence to the _Cruz de Taganana_, see p. 37.—Drive from _Cuesta_ (see below) by the Carretera del Sur, a road shaded by tamarisks, to the S.W., along the slope of the bare sunburnt _Cumbre_ (p. 33), up and down hill, through many barrancos, viâ (8 M.) _San Isidro_ to (10½ M.) the so-called _Halfway House_ (tavern; good wine); then through the deep _Barranco Hondo_, below the village of that name (1310 ft.), mostly through pine-woods (_pinal_). To our right, on the hill, lies the village of _Igueste_; to our left, on the _Ladera de Candelaria_, is the village of _Candelaria_, with the famous pilgrimage-church of the Virgen de la Candelaria. Lastly we cross a lava-stream from the _Garganta de Güimar_ (p. 40) to (20 M.) =Güimar= (975 ft.; Hot. El Buen Retiro, with a fine garden, pens. 8–10_s._, English, good; Pens. Sunnyside, pens. 7_s._), a village of 2000 inhab. in a sunny and sheltered site, in the _Valle de Güimar_. This fertile valley, 3¾ M. in breadth, bounded on the S. by the _Ladera de Güimar_, and on the W. by the ash-cone of the _Arafo_ and the _Monte de Izaña_ (7380 ft.), yields sugar-cane, oranges, and bananas. Luxuriant vegetation, including gigantic arbutus-trees, is seen also in the _Barranco del Rio_, to the W., above the village. From the S. end of the village we may reach (ca. 1½ hr.) two cave-dwellings of Guanches (p. 31), now empty, in the upland valley of the _Barranco de Badajoz_. Route over the _Pedro Gil Pass_ to _Orotava_, see p. 40; ascent of the _Peak of Teneriffe_, see p. 41.

The EXCURSION TO THE OROTAVA VALLEY, the most charming spot in the island, takes 1-1½ days. We go by tramway (p. 34) to Tacoronte and drive thence to Puerto Orotava (see p. 37).

The shadeless and generally very dusty Carretera del Norte, the continuation of the Calle de Alfonso Treceno (p. 35) and Rambla de Pulido, crosses the Barranco de Santos and ascends the N.W. slope of the _Plateau of Laguna_ in windings affording several fine views. The country is parched and scorched in spite of the numerous reservoirs (_estanques_), but corn-fields, tamarisks, fruit-trees, and relics of prickly-pear plantations are occasionally seen.

3 M. _Cuesta_ (962 ft.; inn). The road to Güimar (see above) diverges here. Farther on, as we approach the cooler and better watered tableland, the vegetation becomes richer.

6¼ M. =Laguna.=—HOTEL. _Hot. Aguere & Continental_, Carrera 57, pens. 10–12_s._, good.

_Laguna_ or _La Laguna_ (1740 ft.), once the capital of the Canaries (see p. 34), now a quiet little country-town (pop. 4900), is a favourite summer residence of the wealthier families of Santa Cruz. The old-fashioned houses, as at Villa Orotava, often have pretty, carved balconies; their unglazed windows, closed with shutters only, generally have a _postígo_, or flap, from which the inmates can view the street.

The _Cathedral_, founded in 1513 and since 1908 in course of reconstruction, contains the tomb of Alonso Fernandez de Lugo, the conqueror of Teneriffe (1493–6). From the Calle Juan de Vera, diverging to the N., we follow the first side-street, the Calle de San Agustín, to the left, to the old Augustinian monastery, once the university, and now the _Instituto de Canarias_, which contains the _Biblioteca Pública_ (26,000 vols.) and a small natural history collection. To the right, in the same street (No. 28), is the _Palacio Episcopal_, whose patio is richly adorned with flowers.

From the E. end of the street a few paces bring us to the Plaza de Adelantado, No. 1 in which is the old Palace of the _Nava_ family.

From the S. side of the Plaza the Calle de Santo Domingo leads to the _Priests’ Seminary_ (Seminario Conciliar), once a Dominican monastery. In the side-street opposite No. 30 the second door on the left leads into the garden of a _Farm Building_ (finca) which contains a venerable dragon-tree (p. 30; fee).

The _Iglesia de la Concepción_, at the W. end of the town, contains a fine carved pulpit.