183G.] MAUPvITIUS. 485 



upheaval. There appears to me to be insuperable ol^jectioiis to 

 this view : on the other hand, I can hardly believe, in this and 

 in some other cases, that these marginal crateriform mountains 

 are merely the basal remnants of immense volcanos, of which 

 the summits either have been blown off, or swallowed up in 

 subterranean abysses. 



From our elevated position we enjoyed an excellent view over 

 the island. The country on this side appears pretty well culti- 

 vated, being divided into fields and studded with farm-iiouses. 

 I was however assured that of the whole land, not more than 

 half is yet in a productive state ; if such be the case, considering 

 the present large export of sugar, this island, at some future 

 period when thickly peopled, will be of great value. Since 

 England has taken possession of it, a period of only twenty -five 

 years, the export of sugar is said to have increased seventy-five 

 fold. One great cause of its prosperity is the excellent state of 

 the roads. In the neighbouring Isle of Bourbon, which remains 

 under the French government, the roads are still in the same 

 miserable state as they were here only a few years ago. Al- 

 though the French residents must have largely profited by the 

 increased prosperity of their island, yet the English government 

 is far from popular. 



Srd, — In the evening Captain Lloyd, the Surveyor-general, 

 so well known from his examination of the Isthmus of Panama, 

 invited Mr. Stokes and myself to his country-house, vrhich is 

 situated on the edge of Wilheim Plains, and about six miles from 

 the Port. We staid at this delightful place two days ; standing 

 nearly 800 feet above the sea, the air was cool and fresh, and 

 on every side there were delightful walks. Close by, a grand 

 ravine has been worn to a depth of about 500 feet through the 

 slightly inclined streams of lava, which have flowed from the 

 central platform. 



5^/i. — Captain Lloyd took us to the Riviere Noire, which is 

 several miles to the southward, that I might examine some rocks 

 of elevated coral. We passed through pleasant gardens, and 

 fine fields of sugar-cane growing amidst huge blocks of lava. 

 The roads were bordered by hedges of Mimosa, and near many 

 of the houses there were avenues of the mango. Some of the 

 views, where the peaked hills and the cultivated farms were seen 



