THE BAY OF BISCAY. 139 



to bar its passage, while within the town itself, the 

 trees of the public walks reach its very banks. 

 Everywhere the black hulls of ships, their tall and 

 slender masts, and their white or reddish sails, stand 

 out against a back ground of verdure. One might 

 almost suppose that one was viewing an inland lake, 

 did not the rising tide indicate the vicinity of the 

 ocean. Twice in the day the waters of the river are 

 driven back, and the direction of the current changed, 

 whilst the bridge of boats which connects Bayonne 

 with its faubourgs as often rises and falls. 



The Adour presents a somewhat singular pheno- 

 menon in the history of our rivers. At several 

 different epochs its mouth has changed its place. 

 The inhabitants of the district assert that it formerly 

 flowed into the sea between Biarritz and Bidar, to 

 the south of its present outlet, but an examination of 

 the localities does not confirm this tradition. On 

 the other hand, it is quite certain that at different 

 periods this river has made an eruption towards the 

 north. In 1360, the same tempest which destroyed 

 the fleet of Edward III. off the coasts of Normandy, 

 filled up the bed of the Adour and inundated Bayonne 

 and the neighbouring districts. Harvests, cattle, 

 merchandise everything, in short, perished in the 

 waves. At length the waters found an outlet near 

 Cape Breton, and the river having formed for itself 

 a new bed, fell into the sea at Vieux Boucaut, at 



of riches to the whole of this district, from the great quantity of 

 turpentine which it produces, and from the facility with which it 

 grows on sandy dunes, which it consolidates, and whose further 

 progress it arrests. 



