it is but a little Iland, which containeth sixe leagues in circuit, and
hath but small extension. It appertaineth to the earle of Gomera. The
chiefest commodity of this Iland is goats flesh and orchell. [Sidenote: The
onely vineyard in Hierro planted by Ioh. Hill of Taunton.] There is no wine
in all that Iland, but onely one vineyard that an English man of Taunton in
the West countrey planted among rocks, his name was Iohn Hill.

This Iland hath no kind of fresh water, but onely in the middle of the
Iland groweth a great tree with leaues like an Oliue tree which hath a
great cisterne at the foot of the sayd tree. This tree continually is
couered with clouds, and by meanes thereof the leaues of the said tree
continually drop water, very sweet, into the sayd cisterne, which commeth
to the sayd tree from the clouds by attraction. And this water sufficeth
the Iland for all necessities, as well for the cattell, as for the
inhabitants. [Footnote: In connection with this fable, it is interesting to
see what is said by Le Maire, who visited these Islands in 1682. "As I had
been told of a wonderful tree in Ferro, whose long and narrow leaves were
always green, and furnished all the inhabitants with water, I wished to
find out if it were true. I asked if, as I had heard, such a heavy dew fell
on this tree that it dropped clear water into stone basins placed expressly
to receive it. There was enough of it for the islanders and their cattle,
Nature repairing by this miracle the defect of not providing pure water for
this isle. The inhabitants confirmed my belief that this was a pure fable.
There were some, however, who said that there might have been such a tree,
but it could never have furnished the quantity attributed to it." [See
VOYAGE TO THE CANARIES, etc, page 21, reprinted In _Bibliotheca Curiosa_.]]
It standeth in 27 degrees.


The Iland of Lanzarota