140 KAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



about twenty-four miles distance from its former 

 mouth. For two centuries the Adour followed this 

 direction, until, in 1579, Louis de Foix made a 

 successful attempt to turn it back to its former bed. 

 From this time forth, as in olden times, ships were 

 able to come up to the harbour of Bayonne without 

 the slightest difficulty ; but it would appear that there 

 was soon reason to fear new disasters. Under the 

 continual action of the waves coming from the north- 

 west, the channel, which had at first been tolerably 

 direct, gradually inclined towards the south, and 

 filled up the bed of the river with sand. In 1720, 

 the channel had become almost impracticable. The 

 river was now for the first time embanked, and from 

 thenceforth additions were constantly being made to 

 the magnificent dykes of Touros. The engineering 

 difficulties were, however, far from being removed, 

 and the bar of the Adour has always continued to be 

 a somewhat perilous, and often an impracticable 

 passage, notwithstanding the assistance which is 

 afforded by a tug steamer that is always stationed 

 here for the purpose of towing ships into the 

 harbour. The bar of the Adour always presents 

 the appearance of a restless and troubled sea. I 

 have visited it during one of those splendid autumn 

 days, when all nature seems to repose after the 

 activity of the past season, and to prepare for the 

 torpidity of winter. The breeze that was coming 

 from the east was so slight that it did little more 

 than stir the pennons that were hanging at the 

 mastheads of the many vessels moored along either 

 side of the river, and yet before I left the " Alices 



