000 THE BRITISH MAGAZINE, For FEBRUARY, 1764. tttttxttttttttttttttttttttt To the Authors of the BRITISH MAGAZINE. GENTLEMEN, The famous fountain-tree in the island Hierro, one of the Canaries, having been confidered as miraculous by fome authors, and its very exiftence denied by others, I was perfuaded that an authentic account of that wonderful tree, from Mr. Glas's Hiftory of the Discovery and Conqueft of the Canary islands, would not be disagreeable to your readers; and you will oblige, by inserting it, THIS ifland Hierro produces better grafs, Therbs, and flowers, than any of the other iflands, fo that bees thrive and multiply here extremely, and make excellent honey. The wine of Hierro is poor, weak, and bad, infomuch that the natives are obliged to diftil the greatest part of it into brandy. There are only three fountains of water in the whole ifland, one of them is called Acof, which, in the language of the ancient inhabitants, fignifies River; a name, however, which does not feem to have been given it on account of its February, 1764. Your's, &c. T.D. yielding much water, for in that refpect it hardly deferves the name of a fountain. More to the northward is another called Hapio; and in the middle of the island is a fpring, yielding a ftream about the thickness of a man's finger. This last was difcovered in the year 1565, and is called the fountain of Anton Hernandez. On account of the fearcity of water, the fheep, goats, and fwine here do not drink in the fummer, but are taught to dig up the roots of fern, and chew them to quench their thirft. The great cattle are watered at thofe fountains, and at a place where water diftils from the leaves of a tree. Many writers have made mention of this famous tree, fome in such a manner as to make it appear miraculous; others again deny the exiftence of any fuch tree, among whom is father Feyjoo, a modern Spanish author, in his Theatro Critico. But he, and those who agree with him in this matter, are as much mistaken as they who would make it appear to be miraculous. This is the only island of all the Canaries which I have not been in; but I have failed with natives of Hierro, who, when questioned about the existence of this tree, answered in the affiranative. The author of the hiftory of the discovery and conqueft has given us a particular account of it, which I shall here relate at large. "The district in which this tree ftands is called Tigulahe, near to which, and in the cliff, or steep rocky afcent that furrounds the whole inland, is a narrow gutter, or gulley, which commences at the fea, and continues to the fummit of the cliff, where it joins or coincides with a valley, which is terminated by the fteep front of a rock. On the top of this rock grows a tree, called in the language of the antient inhabitants, Garfe, Sacred or Holy Tree, which, for many years, has been preferved found, entire, and fresh. Its leaves conftantly diftil fuch a quantity of water as is fufficient to furnish drink to every living creature in Hierro; nature having provided this emedy for the drought of the island. It is fituated about a league and a half from the fea. Nobody knows of what fpecies it is, only that it is called Til. It is diftinct from other trees, and ftands by itfelf; the circumference of the trunk is about twelve fpans, the diameter four, and in height from the ground to the top of the highest branch, forty fpans: the circumference of all the branches together is one hundred and twenty feet. The branches are thick and extended; the loweft commence about the height of an ell from the ground. Its fruit refembles the acorn, and tastes fomething like the kernel of a pine-apple, but is fofter and more aromatic. The leaves of this tree refemble those of the laurel, but are larger, wider, and more curved; they come forth in a perpetual fucceffion, fo that the tree always remains green. Near to it grows a thorn, which faftens on many of its branches, and interweaves with them; and at a small diftance from the Garfe are fome beech trees, brefos, and thorns. On the north fide of the trunk are two large tanks, or cifterns, of rough ftone, or rather one ciftern divided, each half being twenty feet square, and fixteen fpans in depth. One of thefe contains water for the drinking of the inhabitants, and the other that which they ufe for their cattle, washing, and fuch-like purpofes. Every morning, near this part of the island, a cloud, or mist, arifes from the fea, which the fouth and eafterly winds force against the fore-mentioned fteep cliff; fo that the cloud, having no vent but by the gutter, gradually afcends it, and from thence advances flowly to the extremity of the valley, where it is flopped and checked by the front of the rock, which terminates the valley, and then refts upon the thick leaves and wide-fpreading branches of the tree, from whence it diftils in drops during the remainder of the day, until it is at length exhausted, in the fame manner that we fee wa ter e ter drip from the leaves of trees, af. ter a heavy shower of rain. This diftillation is not peculiar to the Garfe, or Til, for the brefos, which grow near it, likewife drop water'; but their leaves being but few, and Barrow, the quantity is so trifling, that though the natives fave fome of it, yet they make little or no account of any but what diftils from the Til, which, together with the water of fome fountains, and what is saved in the winter feafon, is fufficient to serve them and their flocks. This tree yields moft water in thofe years when the Levant, or eafterly winds, have prevailed for a continuance; for by these winds only the clouds or mifts are drawn hither from the fea. A perfon lives on the fpot, near which this tree grows, who is appointed by the council to take care of it and its water, and is allowed a houfe to live in, with a certain falary. He every day diftributes to each family of the diftri&t feven pots, or veffels, full of water, befides what he gives to the principal people of the island." Whether the tree which yields water at this present time be the fame as that mentioned in the above defeription, I cannot pretend to deter mine, but it is probable there has been a fucceffion of them; for Pliny, defcribing the Fortunate Islands, fays, "In the mountains of Ombrion are trees refembling the plant Ferula, from which water may be procured by preffure. What comes from the black kind is bitter, but that which the white yields is fweet and potable." Trees yielding water are not peculiar to the island of Hierro, for travellers inform us of one of the fame kind on the island of St. Thoas, in the bight, or gulph, of Gui ney. In Cockburn's voyages we find the following account of a dropping tree, near the mountains of Vera Paz, in America. "On the morning of the fourth day we came out on a large plain, where were great numbers of fine deer, and in the middle ftood a tree of unufual fize, fpreading its branches over a vaft compass of ground. Curiofity led us up to it: we had perceived, at fome diftance off, the ground about it to be wet, at which we began to be fomewhat furprifed, as well knowing there had no rain fallen for near fix months paft, according to the certain course of the feafon in that latitude; that it was impoffible to be occafioned by the fall of dew on the tree, we were convinced by the fun's having power to exhale away all moisture of that nature a few minutes after its rifing. At last, to our great amazement, as well as joy, we faw water dropping, or as it were diftilling, faft from the end of every leaf of this wonderful (nor had it been amifs if I had faid miraculous) tree; at least it was fo with respect to us, who had been labouring four days through extreme heat, without receiving the leak moisture, and were now almost expiring for the want of it. "We could not help looking on this as liquor fent from heaven to comfort us under great extremity, We catched what we could of it in our hands, and drank very plentifully of it, and liked it fo well, that we could hardly prevail with ourselves to give over. A matter of this nature could not but excite us to make the fricteft obfervations concerning it, and accordingly we ftaid under the tree near three hours, and found we could not fathom its body body in five times. We obferved the foil where it grew to be very ftoney; and, upon the nicest enquiry we could afterwards make, both of the natives of the country and the Spanish inhabitants, we could not learn there was any fuch tree known throughout New Spain, nor perhaps all America over: but I do not relate this as a prodigy in nature, because I am not philofopher enough to afcribe any natural caufe for it; the learned may, perhaps, give subftantial reafons in nature, for what appeared to us a great and marvellous fecret." The Hiftory of Abdalzar, the Man by Experience made wife. ABdalzar, having formed a refo lution to devote the remainder of his life to the pursuits of pleasure, was not yet freed from the perplexity of deliberation; the choice of delights kept his judgment in fufpence, and, like a gueft, whofe appetite is excited by a variety of delicacies of different kinds, he was for some time irrefolute and undetermined at laft he refolved to leave that point to the direction of chance, thinking that, in fuch a city as Cairo, fome accidental occurrence muft every day throw fome adventure in his way, which would be attended with the enjoyment of temporary felicity; and that, by the comparison of pleasures, he would foon be enabled to fix his choice upon the most exquifite. When the mind of man has formed a new plan of life, it is for a time poffeffed of the tranquil joy of folid fatisfaction; imagination prefents to it the most flattering profpects, and hope foothes it with the most fanguine expectations. Such was the ftate of Abdalzar's mind, when quitting his apartment, he walked forth into the streets of Cairo; and fo much was his mind taken up with its favourite idea, that he rambled a long time before he perceived that he was wan dering at random, without having predetermined where he should stop, or whither he should direct his course. He then refolved to enter the first: place of general reception, and joining in conversation with the company, acquire the beft information he could concerning the various pleasures: and amusements in vogue at Cairo, thinking that, by the variety of reports, he might be, in some meafure, enabled to form a judgment. Being come to the quarter inhą❤ bited by the Jews, he entered a coffee-house, where he faw a confiderble number of persons from all the different countries of the world, fome of whom drank coffee, ficai, fherbet, or other liquors, whilft some feemed attentively engaged in serious conversation, or wrangled with all the rudeness of altercation. Perceiving one fit filent in a corner, be addreffed himself to him as a ftran-: ger; and when, in the course of converfation, he had made him acquainted with his purpose, the other answered him as follows. "If you have money you cannot be at a loss. to procure pleasure; endeavour by your industry to double it, to triple it, nay, continue all your life accumulating, and your pleasures will increafe with your flores. After the great great God that created heaven and earth, gold is the most worthy object of our attachment. I have spent all my life in the conftant pursuit of wealth, and though God has feconded my endeavours, and my coffers are well filled, the acquifition of a fingle fequin gives me pleasure." In fubfequent conversations with many prefent, he found that this was the general way of thinking in that quarter; that the fouls of thefe men were fo entirely engroffed by intereft, that to them pleasure appeared idle, and amusements trifling and infipid. As it grew late, Abdalzar was going to return home, somewhat penfive in being fo disappointed in his first pursuit of pleasure, As he walked along, quite hopeless of gratifying his defire that day, he heard the cries of one in terror, and perceiving what boufe they iffued from, entered it, with a refolution to defend innocence from the attacks of brutal viplence. Seeing a woman ftruggling with a man, who held a dagger in one hand, and by his attitude feemed just going to plunge it in her heart; he immediately attacked the villain with fo much resolution, that he betook himself to flight, and shewed by his precipitate retreat from danger, that his cowardice was equal to his cruelty. Being now alone, with the lady whofe life he had fav ed, he perceived that the was a firstrate beauty and fo much was he fruck with her charms, that, whilft she made him the warmest acknowledgements of gratitude, he affured, her that to have defended her was the greatest happiness that could have befallen him, and that he would gladly dedicate his whole life to her, if he would accept of his fervices. To this the made fuch an anfwer, that he made her an offer of be coming her protector, and sharing with her his riches, if he would confent to live with him. This of+ fer fhe readily accepted, and he con ducted her to his house in raptures, thinking himself now poffeffed of an object that would afford him ever new delights, and unceafing fatisfaci tion. Antigone, for that was the name of his miftrefs, was a beautiful Greek, whofe charms juftified hisentertaining hopes of poffeffing the greatest happiness that the bounty of heaven ever bestows upon mortals. In her his blifs was complete, fo exquifite, that he almoft doubted whe ther it was reality or a delufion, effected by the operation of one of thofe aerial beings, who, tho' raised above mortality, have ftill a connect tion with men, and sometimès ras with their minds with visions of extatic happiness, fometimes cloud then with the defpondence of grief, and overwhelm them in the depths of despair. Abdalzar lived twelve years with Antigone in fo confummate a feli city, that he had nothing to with but that it might be eternal, and her beauty, instead of palling upow his fenfe, feem'd to acquire new luftre every day; and, after reites rated enjoyment, fixed the affec tions of Abdalzar as powerfully as the furprize of novelty captivates the unexperienced lover, or ther charms of variety delight the incon ftant, who rove from beauty to beau: ty, without the attachment of affeċtion, or the endearments of reciprosí cal efteem. When twelve years: were expired, Antigone was fnatched: from the arms of Abdalzar by the angel of death, and he remained ini confolable for her lofs. The time> he had lived with him appeared to: |