1818.] Temperature of Nice. 173' 



France over the Bay of Antibes, about sun-set, and the reverse 

 view, viz. from the. ramparts of Antibes, of Nice, with the moun- 

 tains that rise behind it in successive ranges, and the snows of 

 the Col de Tende, &c. bounding the picture. 



The mildness of this climate, and the sheltered situation of the 

 country about Nice, render it a fine field for the lover of botany 

 to follow his favourite pursuit, a subject which I regretted I 

 knew so little about. It was, however, interesting to' attend to 

 the geography of plants, which the gradual elevation of ground 

 from the shore to the summits of the mountains rendered very 

 remarkable, particularly in some species. 



On the fertile plain of Nice flourished the orange and lemon 

 trees in gardens (of which there were above b'O different kinds) ;* 

 also the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera), the pomegranate (Pu- 

 nica Granatum), the Nerium Oleander, the cypress, different 

 kinds of geraniums, the sweet-scented Verbena, the myrtle, one 

 of the Gossypiums, or cotton tree, the olive, the white mulberry 

 (Morus Alba), which supply the silk worms, and many other 

 trees and plants ; and on the walls and rocks in warm situations, 

 the Cactus opuntia, or Indian fig, the caper shrub (Capparis 

 Spinosa), the great aloe (Agave Americana), to be seen in some 

 places ornamented with its stately flower 20 or 24 feet high. 

 On ascending the hills a few hundred feet, but few of these were 

 to be seen ; the orange tree soon disappears ; its region is very 

 limited in distance from, and elevation above, the sea; with 

 respect to the former two myriametres (about ll^- miles) has 

 been stated by Risso to be its limit. The olive region may be 

 traced considerably higher up the hills, higher on their south 

 sides than on the north ; this region, as near as I can guess, doe* 

 not much exceed in general 800 or 1,000 feet in elevation; its 

 distance from the Mediterranean I found, when travelling north- 

 ward from Marseilles, to be about 70 or 80 miles ; it dwindles 

 away to a mere bush between Avignon and Pont d'Esprit, about, 

 which place I lost sight of it. Above the olive region generally 

 appeared the Pinus Abies, the Pinus Sylvestris, or Scotch fir^ 

 Juniperus Communis, the chesnut (Castanea vesca), &c. ; upon 

 this region the snow in winter sometimes fell, and remained for 

 a longer or shorter period, according to circumstances. 



Some attention to the geography of plants is useful in choos- 

 ing a situation most advantageous for an invalid whose case, 



* In a small publication, by Risso of Nice, of the different kinds of orange, 

 lemon, and lime trees cultivated in tlie IJep. des Alpes Maritime*, he divides them 

 »> follows: 



Species of the Orange (Orangers) 19 



• Bitter ditto (Bigaradiers) 11 



■ Limetiers (Limes) 7 



("edratiers (Cedrat) 3 



■ — l.imonien, (Lemon) 25 



