Page:History of the Royal Society.djvu/229

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the Royal Society.
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sonous Milk, which lighting upon any Part of a Horse, or other Beast, fetches off the Hair from the Skin immediately; of the dead Part of this we made our Fires all Night. This Plant is also universally spread over the Island, and is perhaps a Kind of Euphorbium.

"Of the Island Teneriffe itself, this Account was given by a judicious and inquisitive Man, who liv'd twenty Years in it as a Physician and Merchant. His Opinion is, that the whole Island being a Ground mightily impregnated with Brimstone, did in former Times take Fire, and blow up all or near upon all at the same Time, and that many Mountains of huge Stones calcin'd and burnt, which appear every where about the Island, especially in the Southwest Parts of it, were rais'd and heav'd up out of the Bowels of the Earth, at the Time of that general Conflagration; and that the greatest Quantity of this Sulphur lying about the Center of the Island, raised up the Pico to that Height at which it is now seen. And he says that anyone upon the Place that shall carefully note the Situation and Manner of these calcin'd Rocks how they lye, will easily be of that Mind: For he says, that they lye for three or four Miles almost round the Bottom of the Pico, and in such Order one above the other almost to the very Sugar Loaf (as 'tis called) as if the whole Ground swelling and rising up together by the Ascension of the Brimstone, the Torrents and Rivers of it did with a sudden Eruption rowl and tumble them down from the rest of the Rocks, especially (as was said before) to the South-west: For on that side, from the very top of the Pico al-

most