The captain-general and second commandant of the
archipelago reside in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and there is a
brigadier-governor of Grand Canary, residing in Las Palmas, besides
eight inferior military commandants. The province furnishes no men for
the Spanish peninsular army, but its annual conscription provides men
for the local territorial militia, composed of regiments of infantry,
squadrons of mounted rifles and companies of garrison artillery--about
5000 men all told. The archipelago is divided into two naval districts,
commanded by royal navy captains. Roman Catholicism is the official
religion, and ecclesiastical law is the same as in other Spanish
provinces. The convents have been suppressed, and in many cases
converted to secular uses. Laguna and Las Palmas are episcopal sees, in
the archbishopric of Seville.

_Industry and Commerce._--Owing to the richness of the volcanic soil,
agriculture in the Canaries is usually very profitable. Land varies in
value according to the amount of water available, but as a rule commands
an extraordinarily high price. In the _Terrenos de secano_, or
non-irrigable districts, the average price of an acre ranges from L7 to
L17; in the _Terrenes de riego_, or irrigable land, it ranges from L100
to L250. Until 1853 wine was the staple product, and although even the
finest brand (known as _Vidonia_) never equalled the best Madeira
vintages, it was largely consumed abroad, especially in England. The
annual value of the wine exported often exceeded L500,000. In 1853,
however, the grape disease attacked the vineyards; and thenceforward the
production of cochineal, which had been introduced in 1825, took the
place of viticulture so completely that, twenty years later, the exports
of cochineal were worth L556,000. France and England were the chief
purchasers. This industry declined in the later years of the 19th
century, and was supplanted by the cultivation of sugar-cane, and
afterwards of bananas, tomatoes, potatoes and onions. Bananas are the
most important crop. Other fruits grown in smaller quantities include
oranges, figs, dates, pineapples, guavas, custard-apples and prickly
pears. Tobacco-planting is encouraged by the Spanish government, and the
sugar trade is maintained, despite severe competition. The grain harvest
does not supply the needs of the islanders. Pigs and sheep of a small,
coarse-woolled breed, are numerous; and large herds of goats wander in
an almost wild state ove