or 3 times before they can take in their lading; which it is hard to do
here in the fairest weather: and for fresh water they send, as I have
said, to Santa Cruz. Verdona is green, strong-bodied wine, harsher and
sharper than canary. It is not so much esteemed in Europe, but is
exported to the West Indies, and will keep best in hot countries; for
which reason I touched here to take in some of it for my voyage. This
sort of wine is made chiefly on the east side of the island, and shipped
off at Santa Cruz.

Besides these wines, which are yearly vended in great plenty from the
Canary Islands (chiefly from Grand Canary, Tenerife, and Palma) here is
store of grain, as wheat, barley, and maize, which they often transport
to other places. They have also some beans and peas, and coches, a sort
of grain much like maize, sowed mostly to fatten land. They have papaws,
which I shall speak more of hereafter; apples, pears, plums, cherries,
and excellent peaches, apricots, guavas, pomegranates, citrons, oranges,
lemons, limes, pumpkins, onions the best in the world, cabbages, turnips,
potatoes, etc. They are also well stocked with horses, cows, asses,
mules, sheep, goats, hogs, conies, and plenty of deer. The Lancerota
horses are said to be the most mettlesome, fleet, and loyal horses that
are. Lastly here are many fowls, as cocks, and hens, ducks, pigeons,
partridges, etc. with plenty of fish, as mackerel, etc. All the Canary
Islands have of these commodities and provisions more or less: but as
Lancerota is most famed for horses, and Grand Canary, Tenerife, and Palma
for wines, Tenerife especially for the best malmsey (for which reason
these 3 islands have the chief trade) so is Forteventura for
dunghill-fowls, and Gomera for deer. Fowls and other eatables are dear on
the trading islands; but very plentiful and cheap on the other; and
therefore it is best for such ships that are going out on long voyages,
and who design to take in but little wine, to touch rather at these last;
where also they may be supplied with wine enough, good and cheap: and,
for my own part, if I had known before I came hither, I should have gone
rather to one of those islands than to Tenerife: but enough of this.

AND THE GOVERNORS AT LAGUNA AND SANTA CRUZ.

It is reported they can raise 12,000 armed men on this island. The
governor or general (as he is called) of all the Canary Islands lives at
Laguna: his name is Don Pedro de Ponto. He is a native of thi