Читать книгу A Voyage of Discovery to the Southern Hemisphere - François Péron - Страница 6

Table of Contents

Passage from Havre to the Canary Islands.—Stay at Teneriffe, &c. [From the 19th Oct. to the 13th Nov. 1800.]

ON the 19th of October, in the morning, the wind and tide being favourable, order was given for our two ships to depart; the American frigate, the Portsmouth, returning to the United States with the ambassadors who came to conclude the peace, went out with us. At nine A.M. we passed the tower of Francois the first; a band of music played on, the summit, and cheered our departure; an immense crowd from all parts covered the shore, and with one voice and gesture each of the spectators addressed us with their last adieus and wishes for our safety; all seemed to express, "Ah, may you, more fortunate than Marion, Surville, St. Allouarn, La Perouse, and Dentrecasteaux, return once more to your country, and the gratitude of your fellow-citizens!"

At ten o'clock we were out of the pier, and took our powder on board, and sailing towards the English frigate, Proselyte, which was cruising at the mouth of the port, we communicated our passports to the commander, and pursued our course.

On the 25th the diminution of the fogs which we had continually experienced in the channel, and the rising of, the thermometer, sufficiently proved that we were getting into warmer climates. The thermometer progressively rose front 8 to 12; we were then in the gulf of Gascony, almost in the latitude of Bourdeaux.

On the 27th, at noon, we reckoned ourselves to be in the latitude of cape Finisterre, which forms the most western point of Spain and continental Europe. We soon found ourselves off of Lusitania, which the elegant and sensible author of Telemachus has celebrated with so much fascinating eloquence, for its fertility and happy state. The sky was clear, the air was pure, the sea was calm, the temperature was soft and healthful: in a word, every object seemed to unite to recall the smiling scenes of Fenelon. The thermometer at that time was at 15°, the barometer, since our departure from Havre, had progressively sunk, it was not up to more than 28 5*.

[* The author not having given a description of the scale or principle of the thermometers and barometers which were used, it is not easy to understand the temperature, which he states to be from 8 to 12. In the original, the height of the barometer is thus designated, "28ⁱ 5^l", which must, of course, mean, 28 inches, 5 lines.—ED.]

On the 30th we passed the mouth of the straits of Gibraltar; and all that day and the following we continued our course along the coast of Africa, at the distance of about fifty leagues.

At length, on the 1st of November, at 6 P.M. we were in sight of the peak of Teide, the mount Nivaria of the ancients. In the midst of the isles of Palma, Ferrol, and Gomera, on the west, and those of Canary, Fortaventura, and Lancerot, on the east, this famous point, known by the name of the peak of Teneriffe, raises its lofty head. Its large base was at the time enveloped in clouds, while its top, illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun, appeared majestically above them. It is true this mountain is not, as some travellers have asserted, the highest in the world, in fact, is is not more than 2000 fathom above the level of the sea, and consequently is exceeded in height in Europe, by Mont Blanc, and several mountains in Sweden and Norway; and in America by ten or twelve points of the Andes, some of which, such as the Antisana, the Chimboraco, &c. are more than one-third higher; but, it must be allowed that the insulated situation of this mountain, in the middle of the sea, its proximity to the celebrated islands which it announces from far, the recollections it brings to mind, proclaiming by its very appearance, catastrophes, of which it is itself a prodigious effect, all concur to give it an importance above all others on the globe.

While every eye was fixed on this stupendous mountain, to which we every moment drew nearer, we presently discovered the islands Lancerot, Fortaventura, and Great Canary, which appeared in the horizon as an immense cone, much flattened on the top. Favoured by a leading wind, we hoped to reach anchorage in the course of the same evening, but we were disappointed in this expectation, and determined to stretch along shore during the night. The next morning, at day break we stood in for the land, which we approached very fast.

The coast appeared steep, blackish, and washed by torrents into deep furrows, and without any other appearance of vegetation than a few stunted stalks of the cacalia, the caxtus, and the euphorbia. Beyond these inhospitable shores were several high mountains rising one above another, and equally destitute of verdure, with pointed projections, barren, and in confused rocky heaps; and again, beyond all these mountains, the peak, raising its lofty head far above them. Such was the appearance of Teneriffe from the point Anaga, where we made the land; and from thence as far as Santa Cruz, where we anchored, the same barren and wild scenery was displayed. A few miserable habitations at the foot of these dismal rocks, only served to add to the melancholy aspect of this part of the island. This account is certainly very different from the delightful representations of the Fortunate isles, drawn with such elegance of language by Horace, Viana, Cairasco, the immortal author of the Jerusalem, and the author of the poem Dell' Oceano; but these soft illusions, these cheerful pictures, require the veil of mystery, and the interest which age and distance give, to support them against the reality. The Canaries, now stripped of these brilliant titles of their ancient glory, are no longer truly interesting but for their wines, and the advantageous situation of the physical and political revolutions of which they were the theatre.

In lengthening the coast of Anaga at a little distance from land, we soon discovered the anchorage and the town of Santa Cruz. At ten A.M. we cast anchor in 2 fathom bottom of volcanic sand, oozy and black.

I had yet to complete too great a voyage to remain long at the Canaries. The situation of these islands, in the midst of the Atlantic ocean, has submitted them to the observations of a great number of modern travellers, whose talents and veracity are equally deserving of respect; there is, besides, a Spanish work in three volumes octavo, on this archipelago by Joseph de Viera y Clavijo, who seems to have exhausted all that is interesting of the ancient and modern history on this subject, including the revolutions in the Canaries, physical and political, their population, their several productions, their temperature, &c. The history of the conquest of these islands necessarily occupies a great part of the work of Clavijo. In fact, what can be more interesting and affecting than that of the unfortunate Gouanches, who, armed only with clubs and staves, fought during almost a whole century, against the French Portuguese, and Spanish; opposing courage and perseverance to the number of their enemies, to the superiority of their arms, and the strength of their cavalry; making them purchase the possession of these then wretched isles, with more battles and more blood, than the conquest of a new maid has since cost them.

From all these considerations I shall confine myself to a few details, which seem for have escaped the numerous authors who have written on the subject of this archipelago.

The most general distempers, which we may regard as endemic, are obstinate bowel complaints, putrid and chronic diarrhœas, fevers, scorbutic cachexies, cutaneous eruptions of different kinds, and the itch, with which most of the inhabitants are terribly affected: this disorder is much more dangerous than, but similar to the elephantiasis. These distempers, with which the lower class of the people are more particularly afflicted, seem to proceed from the common cause,—the unwholesome food which is in general use in the country. This food consists of a sort of paste called gofio, which is almost entirely a substitute for bread, and which as said to be an ancient food of the Gouanches. It is prepared of barley-meal, or of torrified wheat, ground, then mixed with water, milk and honey. The rest of their food consists chiefly of salt fish dried in the sun, and which is caught on the Barbary coast; they deposit this salt fish in vast storehouses, where the want of proper care, and the heat occasioned by heaping it in large quantities, soon causes it to putrify, in a greater or less degree. The infectious smell which continually exhales from these heaps of fish in a state of fermentation, is insupportable to strangers, and annoys them in every part of the town. The very low price of this salt food makes the consumption of it prodigious in of the Canaries; but this advantage is miserably counterbalanced by the many distempers of which it is the principal cause.

It is probably the same cause that produces the greasy and livid physiognomy which is remarked in the inhabitants of Santa Cruz by most travellers. The quality of the water which is generally used in these islands, is perhaps another cause of these maladies; and in fact, the scarcity of the springs, which generally dry up during the hot season, compels the inhabitants to preserve the rain water in large cisterns, where it remains for several months, and must consequently imbibe qualities more or less deleterious to the animal economy.

With regard to venereal complaints, they are very common at Teneriffe; the cause of which may be ascribed to the heat of the climate, the indolence of the inhabitants, their excessive uncleanness, the great number of troops, the quantity of money which the sailors spend who arrive from all quarters of the world, the absolute want of any kind of police, the little skill of the greater part of the officers of health in the country, and above all, the disgusting amount of the population of common girls, who in the streets, on the quays, and even in the places of worship, annoy strangers with offers of destructive and deceptive pleasures, the source of a long and cruel remorse. The complaints of this description are indeed more dangerous in this country than elsewhere, as they are more frequently, attended with inveterate ulcers.

The ancients, who knew but little of the Canaries, having made them the abode of the blessed, some enthusiastic authors fancy themselves obliged to repeat all the ideal and poetical descriptions of the pagan mythology, when writing on the subject of these islands. Hence we have recently seen the fertility of the Canaries celebrated in a manner which is totally repugnant both to reason and experience.

In fact, one of the first elements of fertility, namely, water, is so scarce in all the Canaries, that none of them, properly speaking, have any river; and the springs during the summer are generally so dry, that the inhabitants are every where compelled to make use of cisterns to obtain water for their drink. This scarcity of water is particularly attached to the general disposition and physical nature of the soil, which difficulty is not by any means to be removed. The small dimensions of these islands, their long and narrow form, the stupendous height of the mountains which cover them in every direction, the depths of the valleys, their steep declivity towards the sea, all concur to prevent the formation of rivers, or even of streams, however inconsiderable. At the same time, the nature of the soil, which is almost every where basaltic, prevents the filtration of the waters into the bowels of the earth, and those which fall on the surface soon evaporate, from the action of a warm climate.

These physical obstacles to the general fertility of the Canaries are so obvious, and their effects so powerful, that more convincing proofs are unnecessary to refute all the exaggerations of the enthusiastic writers on this subject. In fact, the contrary to all this has been proved by the following axioms of a work, the original of which is in my possession, and which was sent me by one of the best informed merchants of this archipelago.

1st, That Teneriffe, the most considerable of these isles, as well as Palma, and Ferrol, do not produce sufficient subsistence for their miserable population.

2dly, That Canary, and Gomera produce only enough for their own consumption.

3dly, That Lancerot and Fortaventura are the store-houses of the Canaries; but that the ungrateful and sandy soil (I use the expressions of the manuscript) requires abundant rains to produce the crops; and that when these fail, want of bread and famine reign throughout the archipelago.

4thly, That even when the harvests are most abundant the Canaries have no surplus to export; but, on the contrary, they are compelled almost every year to import large cargoes from Spain, America, or even from the north of Germany, for the purchase of which great part of the wines of the archipelago are employed.

The Canaries, in their actual state, far from enriching their metropolis, cost it a considerable sum for the support of their fortifications and garrisons; but, in the hands of the English, these colonies would soon become valuable, dependently of their situation. Great Britain would be in a great measure freed from the heavy duties it annually pays to France, Spain, and Portugal, for the wines and brandies which these three powers import from thence. This was, doubtlessly, the principal reason which induced the English government to attempt the conquest of the Canaries during the last war. A numerous fleet under the command of admiral Nelson, appeared suddenly before Teneriffe in the year 1796; but this attack concluded very differently from that in the year 1657, when admiral Blake succeeded in the attempt. Nelson lost an arm in the enterprise; part of his troops and stores, were taken by the Spaniards, or sunk by the artillery of the forts. In vain, by favour of the darkness, did he succeed in making a landing, and even is taking possession of the armoury; repelled on all sides by the Spanish militia and troops, he was compelled to capitulate, and to sign an agreement to leave the archipelago. The Canarians still show with pride, the British flags which they look on this occasion, depending from the dome of their principal church; they also show the long-boat of Nelson's ship, on board of which he lost his arm. In this honourable defence the crews of several French ships distinguished themselves, who at the time of the appearance of the English, hastened to take arms, and who contributed much, by their example, to excite the courage of the militia and troops of the country.

Since this attack of Nelson on the Canaries, the garrisons of these islands have been considerably reinforced. At the time we were there, they reckoned 4500 regular troops well disciplined and maintained; most of these troops are at Teneriffe, which can also furnish near 8000 militia. Independent of this increase in the number of their troops, an attack on Santa Cruz would now be very difficult, from the commanding situation of a new fort, which the last governor built on a steep rock, and the batteries of which are pointed downwards to the roadstead, and cross the fire of the square tower which defends the mole.

The nature of our mission, the good intelligence between the two governments, the late successes of France, the recent peace with America, all concurred to ensure us the most obliging and flattering reception from the Spaniards. Our brave allies were particularly pleased in interrogating us on the subject of our last campaign in Italy, the passage of the Alps, the battle of Marengo, and the rapid succession of prodigies of which we happened to give them the first account. All seemed to vie with each other in shewing every demonstration of their respect and admiration for France. Ah! if it is ever permitted for an honest man to be proud of hie country, it doubtlessly should be in such circumstances, when, far from his fellow-citizens, he sees among strangers that every idea of greatness, glory and power, is attached to the very name of his country!

Among those with whom I had the honour of being acquainted at Teneriffe, and from whom I received particular attention, I ought to mention the duke of Bethancourt, colonel of the Ultonia regiment, a descendant of the famous Jean de Bethancourt, a Norman nobleman, who was at once the conqueror and legislator of the Canaries, one of the greatest men of the fifteenth century, which was so prolific prodigies. John of Bethancourt had all the heroism, all the romantic enthusiasm of his time, without its ignorance, fanaticism and ferocity. His memory, eternally dear to the Canarians, will be, for his latest descendants, an unalienable title to the most flattering consideration; and the man of whom I speak, is entitled to the esteem of the worthy, for his own particular merits.

The marquis de Nava possesses a beautiful botanic garden at the Orotava; this nobleman dedicates a part of his large income to naturalize in these isles every species of vegetables which might extend their commerce, enrich their soil, adorn their vallies, and clothe their naked and barren mountains with verdure. The marquis de Nava ought to secure the esteem and notice of all good men, as one of the benefactors of his country.

At Laguna, M. Savignon, physician to the government, it much respected for his general character, and his extensive knowledge in his profession.

M. Cologant, in whose respectable family, benevolence to French travellers seems to be hereditary, gave us every information on the subject of the last eruption of the volcano of Cahorra; and also lent us a tinted drawing, which he had himself made, of the appearance of the volcano at the time: this was at the service of every one among us who wished to copy it. On my return to Europe, happening to notice this representation in a work of M. Bory, I was sorry not to see the addition of the name of the real author, because omissions of this kind, however involuntary they may be, are often sufficient cause of changing, or even destroying the liberal confidence of strangers towards European travellers, a confidence of which I have received so many generous proofs in the course of this voyage.

During our stay at Teneriffe, the barometer continued without any particular change at from 28ⁱ 3^l to 28ⁱ 4^l; the thermometer on board our ships in the shade at noon, varied from 17 to 20, and gave me then for the mean 18.5.—results conformable to the precedents obtained by Lamanon, and by M. Labillardière, at the same place, and under the same circumstances.

Of all the hypotheses to which the traditions of the ancients on the Canaries have given rise, doubtlessly the most singular, and the most generally admitted, is that of the existence of a large continent, of which these isles were a part; and which, under the name of Atlantides, then occupied the vast ocean which now separates. Africa from the New World. This opinion has been maintained by some travellers, who are themselves deceived by the authority of Plato, or by the sophisms of several modern writers. Volumes of compilations and citations have been made on this subject, and yet the truth remains still in obscurity, and we are bewildered in dissertations and hypotheses, instead of comparing the actual physical constitution of the countries which they pretend were formerly connected. In this last point of view, M. Bailly, one of our fellow-travellers, considered the Canaries, and discussed the important question of the existence of the Atlantides. I shall here present the interesting observations of this enlightened mineralogist.

"Several celebrated writers (says M. Bailly), from the authority of Plato, have spoken of the existence of the Atlantides, the greater part of whom, who admit the fact, affect to see in the Canary isles, described by the ancients under the name of the Fortunate islands, the remains of that land which, according to many, could not have occupied a less space than what is comprised between Africa and America, and probably made part of these two continents uniting them by its isthmus. The chain of mountains described by the name of Mount Atlas and which stretches along the north part of Africa, serves very much to support their opinions on this subject, for they see only in the isles of which we are treating, the continuation of that chain, which by an inconsiderable winding could have been connected with the Azores. They might as easily have proved a connection between the Cape de Verd islands, and the mountains of the interior of Africa. The same authority which thus confounded the Canaries, the Azores; and the Cape de Verd islands, might have justified the reunion of all the other Atlantic isles to the lost continent, such as Tristan d'Acunha, Ascension, St. Matthew, Trinidad, St. Helena, Noronha, &c.; for it would not certainly be a bolder conjecture than that of extending the limits of a larger tract of land (according to the high priest of Saïs) than Asia and Lybia together, as far as the last mentioned isles.

"For the establishment of a reunion so extraordinary and important, we are, however, to this day confined to some vague traditions of the ancients; for an inspection of the charts does not assist. The physical state of the pretended remains of the Atlantides, and of the continents to which we would connect or assimilate them, has never been compared; it is this circumstance which I propose here to point out.

"All travellers agree in opinion, that the chains of mountains which run through Africa and America are essentially primitive; that the lands situated between them are of secondary or tertiary origin, and that those parts which are subject to subterranean fires are comparatively few.

"It is not so with respect to the islands dispersed in the Atlantic ocean; these are all exclusively volcanic, whether they are isolated, like Ascension, St. Helena, Trinidad, Madeira, &c. or in clusters, like the Azores, the Canaries, the Cape de Verd islands, Tristan d'Acunha, and those which surround it, &c. These isles appear to have risen from the bottom of a deep sea; their coasts are very steep, and almost perpendicular; the channels which separate them are unfathomable; the banks and shoals which are so common in other archipelagos, are not to be found among these. If sometimes an isolated rock is observed, it either seems to be attached to some neighbouring island, or else it is entirely distinct; in either case, the same observations which apply to other larger Atlantic islands will also apply to these. There is not to be seen in any of them granites or real porphyrys, or any such primitive stones; and the calcareous substances which are found in some of them are merely shells collected together, or other similar productions.

"From these simple observations it evidently results, that a difference so general and absolute as that between the actual constitution of the Atlantic isles, and that of the neighbouring continent, should exclude every idea of an origin in common, or even of their being connected in former times. From the same facts we may also conclude, that the hypotheses on which they attempt to establish the opinion that the Atlantic isles are the remains of an ancient continent, is not to be supported, for all these islands being exclusively volcanic, it follows that the Atlantide must have been a continent entirely volcanic, or else that the volcanic parts of this continent were spared in the catastrophe which swallowed all the rest: both one and the other of these suppositions are equally improbable."