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schooners cast anchor while they take in the produce of the 

 adjacent plantations destined for Port-Louis. It was here 

 that Captain Flinders took refuge with the boat in which he 

 had effected his miraculous passage from the coast of New 

 Holland ; and here he was apprehended by order of Governor 

 de Caen, on pretence of being a spy, and detained on the 

 island for several years as a captive. It is but justice, however, 

 to add, that the conduct of the Governor in this instance was 

 very generally disapproved of by the Colonists; and that our 

 navigator, who appears to have been a prisoner at large over 

 the Island, experienced from them a degree of sympathetic 

 attention which consoled him in some measure under his 

 unmerited misfortune. 



" After dinner we left Blancard's, and, having taken 

 leave of our friendly conductor, pursued our way along the 

 sea -shore. In a couple of hours we arrived at Porte 

 Jacote, garrisoned by a subaltern's detachment of the 86th 

 regiment. A couple of two-gun batteries, one on the main- 

 land, the other on a small adjacent island, protect this little 

 cove and the craft which take shelter in it. An attack was, 

 however, made on this post by the boats of the Nereid 

 frigate, while cruising off the coast, and the Civil Com- 

 missary, a gouty old gentleman, taken prisoner after all his 

 people had deserted him. Night was now fast approaching, 

 and we had still a league to walk to Mr. Lousteau's place, 

 where we proposed sleeping. It was quite dark when we 

 arrived there, and what was still worse, our landlord was 

 from home. We had no difficulty, however, in making our 

 quarters good, it being a point of honour among the 

 planters, to have the stranger at all times made welcome. 



" Many of the planters have of late turned their attention 

 to the cultivation of the Clove ; and among these, M. Los- 

 teau appears to be among the most enterprising. A great 

 part of his estate is laid out in plantations of this valuable 

 spice ; and he has added in no small degree to its beauty, 

 by bordering the fields with rows of the elegant Filao, 

 {Casuarina equisetifolia.) This tree, which is a native of 

 Madagascar, bears a striking resemblance to the Larch; 



