by immediately kindling a very large fire. Moſt of our company were ſo very much fatigued with their toilſome journey, that they had no other wiſh left than to make the beſt of their way back to St. Croix; although we had agreed at ſetting out from Orotava, that we would return by the oppoſite ſide of the mountains. But as we were no longer all of the ſame mind, it was ſettled that thoſe who had already ſatisfied their curioſity, ſhould return to the ſhips; whilſt the gardener and myſelf alone reſolved to complete our firſt deſign. All our guides wiſhed to accompany thoſe who were returning to the ſhips, ſo that it was with great difficulty that I could perſuade one of them to attend us.
I was gratified with finding among the plants that grew on the ſides of the rocks, the campanula aurea, the prenantheſpinnala, the adiantum reniforme, and a ſpecies of the ceterac, remarkable on account of its leaves, which are much larger than thoſe of the European ſpecies.
As theſe mountains afford very little water, we directed our courſe towards a ſmall habitation, where we preſumed we ſhould find ourſelves near to ſome ſtream of water. We were not diſappointed, for we came to a very fine ſpring of delicious limpid water, which loſt itſelf again un-
der
