fhaped, perhaps, by art, into fome degree of convenience. The royal caves are to this day eafily diftinguifhed, by the number of apartments for the accommodation of the houthold.

For a long time, the island of Teneriffe was governed by one king, distinguished by the name of Adexe. In a courfe of years, the children of the monarch confpiring against him, divided the island among themselves into nine provinces, each governed by one of the brothers: hence proceeded the civil wars we have mentioned, which prevailed not only here, but in all the other iflands, parcelled out in the fame manner into petty royalties.

They had an established form of marriage, confifting in afking the confent of the maid or widow's parents, in a certain ceremonious way. This and the woman's were all that law or custom required, previous to confummation. Nor were they more fcrupulous in repudiating them: to obtain a lawful divorce, nothing more was neceffary than the dislike of the parties; but if they happened afterwards to agree, they might come together, with this provifo, that the children of the fecond union fhould be rendered illegitimate, and incapable of inheriting; a reftriction that made parents more cautious of feparating upon every difguft. Kings alone were exempted from this law; for they might repudiate and take back their queens, without prejudice to their younger children; nay, kings were even permitted to efpoufe their fifters. When a child was born, it was cuftomary immediately to baptize him; and the form was to call in a neighbouring girl, who was to pour water over the infant's head, repeating at the fame time fome mysterious words; by this act the godmother became fo closely allied to the family, that law prohibited her marrying into it.

Young men had certain appointed excrcifes to ftrengthen and invigorate them; fuch as throwing the dart,, running, leaping, railing great weights, or throwing large ftones; feats of ftrength in which they glory and delight to this day. Virtue, chastity, and the moft punctilious honour with refpect to the fair fex, were in fo high repute, that it was an inviolable law, never known to be infringed, that all violences and affronts offered to women fhould be punished with death; and fuch was the natural virtue and fimplicity of thefe Barbarians, that even the rudeft foldiers and fiercest young people obeyed the dictates of their own reafon, with more rigour than all the feverity of the law could exact..

MOD. VOL. XIL

D

The

The Guanches of Teneriffe, in particular, were well made, handfome, and robuft; nay, in general, of a gigantic ftature. There was, in Scorey's time, the fkull of one of them to be seen in the fepulchre of the Guimar kings, which had eighty teeth, and the fkeleton of the body meafuring fifteen feet; but Scorey does not pretend that he had feen it; and it is probable it was little more than the tradition of the natives, who might have fuch tales of their ancestors as are common among the vulgar of all countries. We are the more confirmed in this opinion, because a fenfible gentleman of the faculty, after refiding twenty years in the island, had, with the utmost difficulty, accefs to the fepulchral caves. This is a favour fcarce ever granted, and not attempted without leave, but at the risk of one's life. He obtained permiffion, and was even conducted to the tombs, in confequence of the efteem of the people, which he had gained by feveral fervices he had done for them in the way of his profeflion. The following ftory, which he relates, feems, however, to corroborate the teftimony of Scorey. Several gentlemen being one day employed in hunting a rabbit, the little animal run into a cave, and was purfued by one of the company, who, upon entering in a hurry, was terrified with the fight of a corpfe of a gigantic ftature. His cries alarmed the company; but before their arrival, recollecting that it was a fepulchral cave of the Guanches, his fears were diffipated. He cut off a piece of fkin from the breast of the body, which our author had feen, and affirms was fofter, fmoother, tougher, and more pliable, than the beft prepared kid-fkin; which was probably no other than the goat-fkins in which they wrapped the embalmed bodies. One anonymous author relates, from the report of the modern Guanches, that, among their ancestors, this employment of embalming was confined to a certain tribe, and kept an inviolable secret from the vulgar. This tribe compofed the priesthood, and never intermingled with the other tribes by marriage. After the conqueft of the island, they were destroyed, and with them perifhed the art of embalming; of the ingredients used in which, tradition has only preferved a few. It is faid, they mixed goats butter and hog's lard, which they carefully kept in fkins for this purpofe. These they melted down with a kind of wild lavender, that grows in this island in abundance. Another herb called lara, of a glutinous and gummy nature, found now only in a few places; the cycla

men

men (F); and, laftly, wild-fage; both which are produced in great plenty thefe herbs, bruifed and boiled with the butter, compofed an odoriferous mixture. After having made the neceffary preparations, the body was opened and embalmed; and, when cleared of the inteftines, washed with a juice extracted from the pine, probably a fort of turpentine; after which it was fet to dry in the fun, or before a flow fire. This operation of befmearing and anointing was frequently repeated, until the balm penetrated the most minute veffels, and the muscles became perfectly confpicuous. The body was fuppofed fufficiently prepared, when it became extremely light; upon which it was wrapped in goats-fkins in the neateft manner poffible, and with fuch art, that it is affirmed all the veins, arteries, and tendons, nay, even the features, could be distinguished through it, the body undergoing no other change, after being kept for centuries, than a flight difcolouration of the skin. From this cuftom, it might be inferred, that the Guanches, or ancient inhabitants of the Canaries, and particularly of the island of Teneriffe, were either a colony of Ethiopians, or descended originally from the progenitors of that people. To render this curious article as complete as poffible, without trefpaffing upon the bounds affigned us, we will beg leave to add a few more remarks from the ingenious Sir Edmund Scorey, to whom we have already been fo frequently obliged. This gentleman informs us, that the ancient Guanches had embalmers publicly appointed for each sex, neither prefuming ever to depart from their own province; a circumstance which reflects great honour on the delicacy of that rude people. He fays, the compofition they ufed was a mixture of goats-butter, the powder of certain plants, and their juices, boiled into a glutinous unguent, with which they mixed an extract from the pine-tree, and certain. ftones finely pulverized. The body was rubbed with this for fifteen fucceffive days, and laid, after every unction, before the fun, or, in the winter, before a flow fire, till it became light, ftiff, and dry; after which it was wrapped in goat-fkin, and depofited in a cave, the relations and friends keeping all this time a continual plaintive mourning, which almoft reduced them to the condition of the deceased they lamented e.

e Purchas's Pilgrims, lib. ii. cap 12. fect. 3. P. 787. (F) The cyclamen is the fow-bread in botany; a genus of the pentandria monogynia clafs of plants.

The fame author relates, that the Guanches inhabiting the fouth side of the island were of an olive colour, while those on the north fide were fair, especially the women, who had long, light, fmooth hair. Their drefs was a kind of fhort coat, made of goat or lamb-fkin, without skirts or fleeves, and faftened with thongs, which ferved instead of feams and buttons. This drefs, called tamarco, was the habit commonly worn by both fexes, only the women added, out of modefty, a kind of fhort petticoat of skins, that fell down below the knee before, and quite down to the ground behind. Some fay, that it touched the ground on every fide; that fex deeming it immodeft to expofe even their feet. Such is the garment in which they lived, died, and were buried; at least the common people were fo, who could not afford the expence of the dressed skins ufed by richer perfons in embalming.

A fruit called mezan, of the fize of a pea, formed the whole of their phyfic in all diseases whatever, but efpecially in fluxes and the tabes dorfalis, to both which they were particularly fubject. From this fruit they extracted a kind of honey, which they call chacarquem, much efteemed in external applications; after which the fruit was pounded and boiled down in water to the consistence of a syrup, which they took internally for the above difeafes. In acute diforders they used phlebotomy at the arms, head, and forehead; performing that operation with a flint. It is probable our author here means the jugulars and carotides. What we have here related is, in general, applicable only to the Guanches of the island of Teneriffe, though many of the customs might have been common to all the ancient inhabitants of the Canaries.

The island of Teneriffe has three capital towns, namely, St. Chriftoval de la Laguna, or St. Chriftopher's of the Lake, Oratavia, and Santa Cruz. The firft of thefe is by many writers ftyled the capital of the Canaries, and the feat of the viceroy. One part of the town ftands on the declivity of a hill, the other on one fide of that beautiful plain which Sir Edmund Scorey fays was cut out by nature to add to the felicity of the inhabitants of Laguna. The houses are numerous and compact, but the streets, though wide and large, unhappily were laid out with very little regard to regularity; however, as they are embellifhed with fome handfome public buildings, Laguna furnishes a very pleafing profpect from a diftance. The most remarkable buildings are two parifh-churches, the convents of St. Diego, St. Francis, St. Auguftin, and St.

Dominico,

Dominico, an hospital, and two nunneries, fome of which arc pieces of excellent architecture. The houfes of perfons of condition have large gardens, and orchards of palm, citron, lemon, orange, and other fruit-trees adjoining to them; and the whole furrounding countryabounds with vineyards. But what adds moft to the ornament and conveniency of the city, is that fine plain lying near it, about ten miles in circumference, and so fertile, fays Scorey, that nature feems to have intended to complete, by the fertility of this place, the beauty of the scene. On every fide this delightful valley is hemmed and defended by mountains and hills, fo covered with wood, that they bear the appearance of an eternal fpring; one fpecies of trees putting forth leaves while others are passed their bloom, ftripped of their beauty, and difcover the fhrivelling hand of winter. The true malmfey wine is made in Teneriffe, and the grape reared near Laguna is faid to be the best for this purpofe of any the world produces. Here is alfo the wine called by the general name of Canary, and the verdona, or green wine; but thefe grow in greater perfection at Oratavia, the town we are going to describe.

Oratavia ftands on the weft fide of the island, and being the chief fea-port, and the emporium of trade, the English merchants and conful refide here. Dampier alleges, on the authority of the natives, that this town is larger than Laguna, the capital; and that it has a great number of convents, but only one parochial church. Notwithstanding the harbour chiefly gives importance to Oratavia, the port is extremely dangerous when the northweft winds blow, to which it is fully exposed: however, mariners discover it by a high fea that rolls before the approach of the ftorm, and take the neceffary measures for their fecurity.

The third town of any confequence is Santa Cruz, fituated in a bay on the weft fide of the ifland, defended by two forts and feveral batteries of heavy cannon, which could not prevent the heroic Blake's destroying fixteen Spanish galleons that lay here in 1657. This attempt was looked upon as the most hardy and intrepid that had been ever executed; it being then a thing unknown to attack a fleet protected by forts and batteries; though all the maritime ftates have often fince given proofs of its being lefs hazardous than at that time it was imagined by the best seaofficers.

To conclude our account of Teneriffe, the Verdona wine produced here is frong-bodied, but more harsh_and