160 RAMBLES OF A NATUKALIST. 



traveller. Its roadstead, which affords the only safe 

 anchorage along the whole line of coast from the 

 Gironde to the Bidassoa, presents a view which chal- 

 lenges admiration from those who have seen the 

 Gulf of Palermo and the Bay of Naples. All that 

 is lovely or stern in the characteristics of Basque 

 scenery is concentrated in this view. From the 

 summit of Point Saint Barbara, whose batteries, 

 which are now in ruins, formerly exchanged fire 

 with those of Fort Socoa, the eye in turning towards 

 the south, encounters a line of rounded hills, irre- 

 gularly interspersed with trees and small white- 

 washed cottages. To the east, the bay expands 

 into a semicircle, margined at its base by the houses 

 of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, which, seen from a distance, 

 has all the appearance of a large town. A narrow 

 opening, contracted between two granite dykes, 

 marks the entrance of the harbour and the mouth 

 of the Nivelle. Beyond, this little river flows 

 through a charming valley, which is overhung by 

 the abrupt declivities and barren summit of the 

 Rune ; to the west, the bay curves into a crescent, 

 and gliding below a triple series of hills terminates 

 at the large grey tower of the Socoa. On every 

 side, the Pyrenees exhibit their deep gorges and 

 rugged rocks, whose outlines are softened by distance, 

 their picturesquely indented summits gradually va- 

 nishing in the direction of the coasts of Spain, until 

 they are lost in the horizon, amid the double azure 

 of the sea and sky. 



Saint- Jean-de-Luz contains now only about 2,000 

 inhabitants, but in its days of prosperity it numbered 



