]\Iajor F. Bailey's Tour in Provence and the Cevennes. 317 



A Forest Tour in Provence and the Cevennes. By ^Major 

 F. Bailey, K.E. (With Map.) 



(Re:ul May 13, 18SG.) 



On the 22nd April 1885, a party, consisting of WSl. 

 Piiton and Boppe, the director and deputy-director of the 

 Forest School, Mr Elliott, of the Punjab Forest Depart- 

 ment, nine English students, Mr Takasima, a Japanese 

 gentleman studying at the school, and the writer of these 

 pages, left Nancy fur Marseilles. After we had passed 

 Dijon, and before darkness set in, the line led us along the 

 fout of the Cute d'Or hills, which are famous for tlie 

 wine they produce ; and when moi'ning dawned we found 

 ourselves near the mouths of the Ehone, crossing the deso- 

 late Plaine de la Cran, which consists entirely of pehbles 

 and gravel, and is probably of glacial origin. It is quite 

 uncultivated, and is likely to remain so until the works- 

 now in progress for leading the turbid water of the Durance 

 to deposit their silt upon it are somewhat more advanced^ 

 and until a fringe of forest can be raised on the northern 

 side, as a protection against the terrible mistral wind 

 whi:h blows from that direction. The sudden change 

 of 5i° of latitude we had passed through, made itself 

 evident by the advanced condition of the vegetation. At 

 Nancy tlie leaf-buds were only bursting, whereas at Mar- 

 seilles the trees on the numerous boulevards and in the 

 beautiful public gardens were in full foliage. Here we 

 observed a number of palms in flower, and a small species- 

 of bamboo, not unlike the Himalayan ringal (Arundinaria- 

 falcata); while near our hotel was a fine row of Australian 

 gum trees [Eucalyptus glohidus)^ 6 feet in girtl), and 

 said to be seventeen, years old. It is not possible- 

 to leave Marseilles without remarking on the magnificent 

 mules which one sees everywhere in the streets, some uf 

 them being probably 17 hands higli. These animals, 

 laden with a most unnecessary amount of cumbrous har- 

 ness, are put into the waggon-sbafts, preceded by a string of 

 three or four horses and ponies of gradually diminishing- 

 size, and the team is finished off with a very small pony, or 

 sometimes a donkey ! We also saw a number of active, 



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