88 THE CEMETERY. 



feet above the level of the sea. The view from the 

 top embraces the g-reater part of this fine island. 

 The coral reef fringing the shores is well seen^— the 

 pale green of the shoal water is separated from the 

 deep blue of the ocean by a line of snow-white surf. 

 For entomological purposes I frequently visited 

 the Cemetery^ numbers of insects being attracted by 

 its flowers and trees. The road leading to it^ one of the 

 principal evening' drives^ is shaded by rows of mag- 

 nificent casuarinas^ from Madagascar. Some ii\e 

 or six widely-separated religious creeds may each 

 here be seen practising' their peculiar modes of 

 interment — Chinese^ Mahometan^ Hindoo^ and Chris- 

 tian ^ and among' the last it was a novelty to me to 

 observe^ for the first time^ the pleasing custom of 

 decking' the graves with fresh flowers^ often re- 

 newed Aveekly for years^ disposed in jars of various 

 kinds, from the richly ornamented vase dow^n to the 

 humblest piece of crockery. All the low land here- 

 abouts has been borrowed from the sea; it is a 

 mixture of sand and fragments of coral* and the 

 land-crabs have established a colony in one part of 

 the cemetery^ and run riot among' the graves. 



Although well aware of the productiveness of this 

 fine island in marine objects^ I was yet unprepared 

 for the sight of upwards of one hundred species of 

 fish^ which I frequently witnessed of a morning in 

 the market at Port Louis; but this to me was 

 diminished by the regret that the most skilful taxi- 

 dermist would signally fail^ either to retain upon the 



