THE ARCHIPELAGO OF BREHAT. 87 



of the fortifications, a worthy citizen, who has the 

 charge of the coast-guard ammunition. There is not 

 any very great harmony among these petty military 

 authorities, who all advance pretensions to supremacy, 

 and whose quarrels would be even more vindictive if 

 it were not for the calm and pacifying spirit of the 

 keeper of the ammunition, who alone, from the nature 

 and extent of the materials entrusted to his care, is 

 invested with any real importance. 



The climate of Brehat is remarkably mild ; snow 

 rarely falls, and it is only in extremely severe seasons 

 that the earth retains the white coating of winter for 

 more than a day or two. Owing to this circumstance 

 many plants thrive on the island which are com- 

 monly regarded as peculiar to southern climates. 

 The myrtle, amongst others, grows freely in the open 

 air, and attains a considerable size, contributing 

 greatly to the adornment of the better class of houses, 

 which are frequently covered with the shining green 

 foliage of these beautiful shrubs, interspersed with 

 which are festoons of roses trained on trellis work; and 

 yet Brehat is situated very nearly in the same latitude 

 as Alsace, and Strasburg lies about half a degree fur- 

 ther south, notwithstanding which the river on which 

 this city is built freezes every year to such a thickness 

 that the inhabitants are able with safety to skate 

 upon its surface. Now in order to obtain ice thick 

 enough for this purpose, we must assume that the 

 temperature has remained far below the freezing point 

 for some days. This difference of temperature be- 

 tween two localities placed at the same distance 

 from the pole, is explained by one of those great 



G 4 



