UNITED KINGDOM CANARY ISLANDS | British history with a stop in Tenerife

: «On December 23, 1787 we sailed from the port of Spithead, in England, aboard the 215-ton, 27 m frigate HMS Bounty. in length, and 44 crew members. We had been hired by the Royal Society of London in order to look for sprouts of the breadfruit tree that grew in abundance inTahiti and then transport them to our colonies in theAntilles

in the Caribbean Sea, with the purpose of obtaining nutritious and economical food for the maintenance of the slaves.

José Manuel Ledesma Alonso

At noon, we approach its magnificent pier where you can disembark without difficulty when the sea is not very rough. There is a water pipeline for the service of ships, for which all merchants have to pay the stipulated amount.

I sent officer Christiam ashore to notify the governor that we had arrived to refuel and repair damage suffered by a storm a few days after leaving England, to which he gave a very kind response, ordering that they would supply us with everything there was. on the island. In his name, the port captain and other Spanish officers came to greet me, in whose boat I went ashore to meet the various authorities.

The governor granted permission to David Nelson, the botanist of the expedition, so that he could herbalize in the mountains immediately around the city.

The city of Santa Cruz is built in a regular way and measures approximately one kilometer in each direction. The houses are generally spacious and airy, but the streets are very poorly paved.

I have been told that they are subject to attacks of smallpox epidemic, brought by ships, and that they are now trying to counteract it by inoculation. For this reason they are very discerning and only allow ships to enter that have a health certificate; precisely, the corvette The Chance, coming from London, under the command of Captain William Meridith, which entered port the day before we left, no person was allowed to go ashore unless I attested that in By the time he had left England the epidemic no longer existed. Thanks to this, they received the supplies they needed and were not required to quarantine. We began supplying the ship on Monday and it was in charge of the consignee Collogan e Hijos. Given the poor conditions of the prevailing seas, the transfer of water on the barges was stipulated at 5 shillings per ton of cargo transported to the ship.

We also collected 865 gallons of excellent quality wine, at 10 pounds sterling a pipe, while we paid for another of a higher class at 15 pounds a pipe (480 liters). This wine has nothing to envy of the best Madeira sold in London. We have forwarded the invoices to Sir Joseph Banks for inclusion in the accounts of the Royal Society.

Annual wine exports in Tenerife are 20,000 pipas annually, and ships frequent the island to take a large quantity to the West Indies.

For the other products we needed: corn, potatoes, pumpkins and onions, the season was not favorable, so we could only get a few low-quality dried figs and oranges, paid at double the price of the summer season. Therefore, in times of scarcity, Santa Cruz receives supplies from other islands, since the production of cereals is not enough for its needs. Fortunately we found plenty of lemons which will help us avoid scurvy in the crew.

As it was difficult for us to get medium quality beef, we had to pay 6p a pound for it. Poultry was also scarce, so much so that getting a good chicken is equivalent to spending 3 shillings.

I had the honor of having His Excellency show me the asylum, they call it Hospice, built on a large area of ​​land, with room for 120 girls and as many poor boys who appeared to have a happy countenance. This institution represented an extremely laudable effort.

In a spacious room, young women and girls, in decent and neat clothing, admirably organized their spinning wheels and looms. A governess inspected and coordinated all their work on making colored silk ribbons and warm clothes made of linen, even the dyeing of the garments themselves was done by them. Young men and children were dedicated to the most laborious jobs, such as bleaching garments made from common wool. They also had an inspector who helped them with everything they needed.

The governor visits them every day while a clergyman assists them at night. In the event of illness, they receive all kinds of help and care until the rest of their days. The length of stay of the host families, according to the statutes, was limited to a stay of five years, after which they could marry or become independent by exercising the trade they had learned.

Thanks to this human institution, a good number of people become useful and industrious in a country where the poor, due to the indulgence of the climate, are too likely to prefer a life of inactivity. I have to highlight that the raw materials were donated by the merchants of Santa Cruz, and food expenses were covered with alms and donations.

After having finished our business in Tenerife, on Thursday, January 10, with our boat in good health, with spirits on board, and a dozen stone funnels (water stills), we began sailing with the southeast wind ».

Willian Bligh (England, 1753-1817)

He entered the British Royal Navy at the age of 17 and six years later he would serve as a lieutenant on the HMS Resolution, under the command of James Cook on his third voyage of exploration through the Pacific Ocean (1776), arriving in port for the first time. santacrucero.

Appointed commander of the frigate HMS Bounty of 215 tons, 27 meters in length and 44 crew members, on December 23, 1787 he set sail from the port of Spithead, in England, sent by the Royal Society of London to search for plant shoots of the “fruit of the bread”, which grew in abundance in Tahiti, in order to transplant them in their colonies in the Antilles to feed the slaves.

After his stay in Tenerife and, after a long and relaxed stay in Tahiti, because he had to wait five months for the plants to mature and be transported in pots, he left for the West Indies with his warehouses full of live plants. On the morning of April 28, near the island of Tonga, nine members of the crew, under the command of Petty Officer Fletcher Christian, mutinied and seized the ship, abandoning Captain Bligh and 18 of his men to their fate, leaving them a boat 7.60 meters long, rigged with oars and a sail, nautical tables, a sextant, a watch, some tools, little food and a barrel of drinking water.