of the Neighbourhood of Hyeres, 197 



are civil and obliging in the highest degree, far differing in 

 this respect from their continental neighbours, the brutish 

 peasantry of Provence. 



Upon arriving at the island, we were conducted by a soldier 

 to the governor's house, in order to explain the object of our 

 visit; which being satisfactory, we were allowed to go in search 

 of an inn, the choice of which was soon decided upon, as there 

 were only two on the island. We amused ourselves with 

 examining the rude attempts at painting with which the walls 

 of our room were adorned : after reading the explanation 

 placed at the foot of these productions of art, we found at 

 length that they represented different scenes in the life of 

 Telemachus. The vegetation of the island consists of exten- 

 sive forests of Pinus Picea and halepensis, together with 

 groves composed of the myrtle, strawberry tree, cork tree, 

 Quercus Flex and coccifer, Erica arborea and scoparia, the 

 former of which (tree heath) reaches the height of 12 ft., 

 with a stem 3 ft. in circumference ; Rhamnus Alaternus, 

 Phillyrea angustifolia, Styrax officinalis, Rosmarinus officinalis, 

 Cytisus candicans, Pistacia Terebinthus and Lentiscus, to- 

 gether with three species of Cistus; viz. C. albidus, salvifolius, 

 and monspeliensis. The myrtle and lentisk tree are so firmly 

 united by the prickly branches of Smilax aspera, as to render 

 these groves for the most part impassable. Nothing can exceed 

 the beauty of the myrtle in full flower, covering as it does 

 large tracts of the island, whilst the powerful heat of the sun 

 distils from its leaves the characteristic odour of this favourite 

 plant. There are but few plants which are, in a manner, 

 peculiar to these islands, and these few were entirely burnt up 

 by the heat of the sun at the time we visited them ; we were, 

 however, fortunate in meeting with the Asplenium obovatum 

 on some rocks at the eastern extremity of Porquerolles ; and 

 in the same locality we found the Delphinium Requieni, 

 although this last plant grows also abundantly near the sea 

 shore on the northern side of the island. The He du Levant is 

 said to be covered with Teucrium Marum and T. massiliense ; 

 the Papaver setigerum, supposed to be the origin of Papaver 

 somniferum; Nonea lutea, Helianthemum Tuberaria, Eu- 

 phorbia dendroides, Genista linifolia and candicans, Prismato- 

 carpus falcatus, Triticum Nardus and phcenicoides, Carduus 

 CasaubonaB, Daphne Tarton-raira, E N chium maritimum, Statice 

 oleifolia and minuta, Cineraria maritima, Anthyllis Barba Jovis, 

 Aira capillaris, Tnula odora, Gladiolus communis, Briza 

 maxima, and Linaria Pelisseriana, form the most interesting 

 plants of these islands. The Dorycnium hirsutum var. incanum 

 is generally called lotus des lies d' Hyeres, from its locality. 



