232 Cruise of the "Alert" 



the southern extremity of the island are continuous with a long 

 reef, extending in a southerly direction for a distance of sixteen 

 miles, and partially dry at low tide. At its southern termination 

 are three small islets, or rather sand-cays, which are termed 

 collectively Cerf Islands. 



Providence Island belongs to two Seychelle gentlemen; viz., 

 Mr. Dupuys and Dr. Brookes, for whom it is managed by an 

 elderly Frenchman named Hoyaeux. The population consists 

 of Hoyaeux, with his wife and nephew, and a gang of negroes, 

 male and female, amounting in all to thirty-four. The houses of 

 the settlement are situated on either side of a broad avenue which 

 traverses the middle of the island from east to west. The only 

 landing-place is at the western end of this avenue, opposite to 

 which we were anchored ; and even here it was always somewhat 

 dangerous, and in bad weather quite impracticable to effect a 

 landing, on account of the rollers which broke over the outer edge 

 of the fringing reef. The latter forms the nearest approach to a 

 "barrier reef" which I have yet seen in these waters; excepting 

 that at Alphonse Island, which we had not time to examine 

 carefully. The depth of water over its general surface is not 

 more than a fathom at low tide ; while at its outer edge, which 

 is marked by the line of breakers, the depth is only a foot or 

 so less. 



The produce of the island consists of cocoa-nut oil and green 

 turtle. The greater part of the island is covered with cocoa-nut 

 plantations, young and old, for which the soil seems admirably 

 suited. I noticed that here the cocoa-nuts had been planted in 

 the surface soil, and not in pits as at Poivre and Des Roches ; and 

 on my making a remark to that effect, Monsieur Hoyaeux, the 

 manager, explained to me the reason. It has been found by 

 experience that cocoa-nuts will not thrive on any of these islands 

 unless they are so planted that the roots may be enabled to reach 

 the bed of coral into which the sea-water penetrates. Hence it 

 follows that when nuts are planted on any but very low coral 



