Voyage to the Canary Islands

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Literature · Subcategory: Literary fragments · Year: 1708-1724 · Authors: Louis Feuillée

Louis Éconches Feuillée (Mane, France, 1660 – Marseille, France, 1732) was a priest of the Minims order, mathematician, explorer, botanist, geographer and astronomer. This Frenchman was an early 18th-century pioneer who, with his scientific journeys, inaugurated the new era of empirical explorers who over the next two hundred years visited the Canary Islands to carry out their research.

Feuillée established the meridian of El Hierro and also recorded various conclusions about the history and nature of the Islands, combining his mathematical astronomical observations with everyday aspects of life here. 

Louis Feuillée arrived in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on 23 May 1708 on a stopover en route to Spanish America. That same day he went ashore and presented himself to the guardian father of the Franciscan convent, from whom he requested permission to spend the night in a cell of the convent. There he set up his instruments and began to take his astronomical measurements. Three days later, on 27 May, a celebration was held in the town to mark the inauguration of the fountain that had been installed in the middle of the main square: La Pila.

The Frenchman reported on a civic procession held on this occasion. The procession was led by the governor, accompanied by the religious orders. The fountain was blessed, followed by the singing of a Te Deum . From the nearby San Cristóbal fort, three discharges of cannon and muskets were fired. The French ships anchored in the port were also asked to join the events and fire their batteries. Then, the procession headed to the main church (La Concepción) where mass was celebrated. The French scientist goes on to say that afterwards the Spanish nobles competed to see who could throw a heavy iron bar the farthest with their arms. A peculiar horse race was also held, where two young riders shook hands and rode together around the main square.

Louis Feuillée's second trip to the Canary Islands took place in 1724. This time, his main objective was to establish exactly the position of the meridian of the island of El Hierro. The scientist arrived in Santa Cruz from Cádiz on the ship Neptune at 3 pm on 23 June 1724. The following day the coronation of Louis I of Spain as king was celebrated in La Laguna, following the abdication of his father Philip V. Three days later, back in Santa Cruz after the festivities, Feuillée complained about the oppressive heat in the town compared to the coolness of La Laguna and commented on the port town:

"The city has around three hundred houses and the heat is excessive in all seasons. The parish church is very beautiful. There are two convents, one of Franciscans and the other of Dominicans.

The city and the roadstead are defended along the coast by three forts, a platform and several fortifications. The garrisons of the forts of San Juan and San Cristóbal are maintained by the city, and therefore it has the privilege of appointing their commanders each year, which the Captain General of the Islands approves after the proposal; however, the commander of the fort called Santo Cristo de Paso Alto and of the other fortifications for which the King provides the money for the expenses of the garrison and maintenance, is appointed by the aforementioned Captain General”.

The French astronomer spent the whole summer in the Archipelago. He climbed Mount Teide, visited La Palma; on El Hierro he determined its meridian, and he was in La Gomera. Back in Tenerife, Feuillée finally set sail from Santa Cruz for Cádiz on 10 October 1724.

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