296 
ends. He says that the foliage is of a dirty-green colour, 
There are those, however, who would dispute this point with 
him, and maintain, on the contrary, that tropical scenery 
exhibits a greater variety of tints than that of temperate 
regions. The foliage of all trees becomes darker the longer 
it stands; and as the young leaves are pushing off the old 
throughout the year, there is a constant variety of shades, 
from a glowing yellow or purple, to a dark green. This is 
the beautiful in landscape, so far as depends on foliage. The 
Europzan partakes more of the sublime. The periodical 
decay of the whole vegetable world impresses the mind with 
a sentiment of melancholy; and would be felt by a native 
of a tropical climate, on seeing it for the first time, with some- 
what of the same sensation as if he had passed over a 
country whose population had been swept off by a pes 
tilence, oM à 
* Port-Louis appears to be the outline of an extensive and 
magnificent plan, commenced in a hurry, and relinquished 
with precipitation, Spacious magazines, the foundation of 
which is built of stone, the superstructure of wood ;—strong 
batteries for the protection of the town, without any accom- 
modation for troops to defend them;—lines of defence, m 
some parts twenty feet high, and rivetted with hewn stone, 
in others à mere earthen embankment, incompetent to check 
either men or cattle;—a piece of ground enclosed for barracks, 
where eight or ten thousand troops might be accommodated, 
but which barely serves to lodge a couple of regiments pem 
hospital for the reception of several hundred patients ;—the 
foundation, in cut stone, of an extensive encampment for 
Government slaves, but never covered in;—a foundry for 
casting cannon;—a mill for manufacturing gunpowderi— 
cast-iron pipes for transmitting water from the distance of two 
miles to the town, but never put to use;—a spacious cathe 
half finished, and now in ruins;—a lyceum without either 
masters or pupils;—an extensive botanical garden, for reat- . 
Ing and distributing the useful and ornamental exotics "i 
tropical climates, but which has degenerated into 2 SPI 
P Lm for the. emolument of the gardener. Such “ 
